The meaning behind the 'Wolverine' graffiti that has been sprayed on destroyed Russian tanks in Ukraine has been revealed.
Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine has been far more costly than he anticipated as hopes of a swift and easy victory proved to be unfounded.
The Ukrainians have fought back fiercely against Russia's invasion, managing to fend off an attempt to lay siege to Kyiv while destroying significant amounts of Russian military material.
Advert
Husks of destroyed Russian tanks now litter the warzones of Ukraine, a testament to the ability of the Ukrainian military to defend their country.
But it's been noticed that some of the wrecks of Russian tanks have been decorated by Ukrainians with the word 'Wolverines' spray painted onto them. But what does this mean?
Well, according to Vice, this is a reference to the 1984 film Red Dawn, which depicts a Soviet Union invasion of the United States.
The movie, which stars Patrick Swayze, Charlie Sheen, Lea Thompson, Jennifer Grey and Powers Boothe, follows a group of children who take to guerrilla warfare to fight off the Russian invaders.
Advert
The kids soon start calling themselves 'Wolverines' after their school mascot, spraying the name onto pieces of Soviet equipment they managed to destroy.
It would appear as though Ukrainians are spraying graffiti onto destroyed Russian tanks in emulation of this.
Ukrainian citizens have been sharing pictures of the graffiti daubed on Putin's wrecked tanks on social media, a sign of how they see themselves in relation to their invaders.
The Daily Telegraph reports that the Ukrainian military has inflicted 'colossal losses' on Russian invasion forces as wet and muddy spring weather has left Putin's troops bogged down.
Advert
According to CNN, Russia may have lost more than 500 tanks thus far in the invasion of Ukraine and there is a fatal flaw in their design which is being exploited to destroy them.
Russian tanks reportedly suffer from a 'jack-in-the-box' effect as they store multiple shells in their turrets and a well placed hit can trigger a chain reaction which detonates the tank's payload, potentially blasting the turret as high as a two-storey building.
Former British army officer Nicholas Drummond described a Russian armoured vehicle as a 'mobile coffin' which could be 'just obliterated' in a single successful hit.
Advert
Western countries are supplying the Ukrainian military with anti-tank weapons which are being put to use in the destruction of Putin's invasion force.
If you would like to donate to the Red Cross Emergency Appeal, which will help provide food, medicines and basic medical supplies, shelter and water to those in Ukraine, click here for more information
Joe Harker