98-year-old Ukrainian War Veteran Offers To Fight Against Russia

Ever since Russia waged a war against Ukraine in February, stories of countless people offering to defend their war-torn country have been a sliver of hope during the bleak hours. Celebrities, Civilians, Members of Parliament have all shouldered the responsibility to safeguard their country from Russia during the ongoing Russia Ukraine War. The latest Ukrainian to do so is a 98-year-old World War II veteran; given her age, her offer was declined by the authorities.

Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on March 18 tweeted that 98-year-old Olha Tverdokhlibova has offered to fight in the Russo-Ukraine war. “98-year-old Olha Tverdokhlibova, a WWII veteran, faced war for the 2nd time in her life. She was ready to defend her Motherland again, but despite all the merits and experience, was denied, though, because of age. We are sure she will celebrate another victory soon in Kyiv,” the Ministry wrote alongside a picture of her.

Since the tweet was posted by the Ministry, many users have left comments for Olha. While some users lauded the spirit of Ukrainians, some were spellbound by the determination of the veteran and wrote, “Once a soldier, always a soldier!”

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In the Russia-Ukraine war, which began nearly a month ago, estimated, 6.5million people have reportedly been displaced inside the East European country while another 3.2 million have fled the country due to concerns over safety.

Although President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is leading Ukraine’s fight against Russia, has been urging that the two countries have a peace talk. Concurrently, Russia has intensified its attack on the country. Dozens of people were killed in Southern Ukraine in shelling and mortar attacks. Zelenskyy had in his latest video told that there was no information either on how many people died in a theatre in Mariupol on March 16.

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Russia’s President Vladimir Putin recently appeared at a huge flag-waving rally and praised Russian forces even as he was accused by Zelenskyy of deliberately creating a “humanitarian catastrophe”. He addressed the packed Moscow stadium on March 18 and said that Kremlin’s troops have supported each other and fought with unity which had not been witnessed in a long time.