‘Proclivity for pyrotechnics’ can assume literal meaning for some people but for Harry Potter fans, it represents a full permission to go ‘boom’. On a serious note, there’s absolutely nothing funny about wars and the endless suffering they cause but every now and then, a video emerges and grabs the attention of social media for a variety of reasons.
A video posted by an Instagram account is being watched widely and being commented upon.
So it starts like this. The black-and-white visuals, apparently taken from a drone in the sky, show a soldier sitting in a vehicle. The vehicle looks like a tank but not quite.
In any case, you would expect the only person in any vehicle to firmly have it under control. But just a few seconds into the video, he jumps off the vehicle while it continues on its path. There is no initial clue as to why he jumped but to add to some initial amazement, the soldier keeps on running and running away from the vehicle without any apparent reason. He continues his run even after there’s sufficient distance between him and the vehicle.
He runs and runs more like his life depends on it. Takes shelter in what looks like the remains of a destroyed tank, all the while his ditched vehicle moves ahead without any incident.
And then comes an almighty blast, sending shockwaves through the area and justifying the soldier’s great haste to keep maximum possible distance from himself and the vehicle.
The Instagram handle that posted this undated video has said that the vehicle is a Russian MT-LB armoured vehicle that was loaded with two tonnes of explosives. It has been claimed that the vehicle was used to launch a ‘Kamikaze’ (suicide) attack against Ukrainian trenches in Avdiivka. But before the MT-LB reached the trenches, it moved over a mine and got destroyed in the blast, claims the post.
It is important to remember that though such videos make for what’s called an interesting watch for those miles away from the actual battle, these by no means should be consumed as entertainment as soldiers are following orders and risking their lives in brutal conflicts such as the Russia-Ukraine war.
(Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments in Russia-Ukraine conflict. However, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.)