Tag: ukraine

Seeing a lot of sunflowers on your news feed?? It is because of the Ukraine/ Russia conflict..

A brief history..

Sunflowers made their way to Ukraine through the efforts of the early explorers of North America, where it was one of only a few native food crops (along with squash, blueberries and pecans). Seeds were brought back to the old world, and found to grow well in hot, dry places with rich soil, such as the “Black Earth” regions of Ukraine.. 

Later, Soviet plant breeders developed a line of sunflowers that produces much more oil, and oil of a type that doesn’t go bad when it’s heated to a high temperature. In the 1990s, when the world began to turn away from trans-fats, the new sunflower oil quickly became popular– especially for frying potato chips – and even more fields were planted.

Fast forward to today: A viral video appears to show a Ukrainian woman telling Russian soldiers to put seeds in their pockets so flowers will grow when they die in her country.. A viral video appears to show a Ukrainian woman telling Russian soldiers to put seeds in their pockets so flowers will grow when they die in her country..

Ukrainian woman confronts Russian soldiers in Henychesk, Kherson region. Asks them why they came to our land and urges to put sunflower seeds in their pockets [so that flowers would grow when they die on the Ukrainian land] pic.twitter.com/ztTx2qK7kB

— UkraineWorld (@ukraine_world) February 24, 2022

Russian forces have targeted a military base near Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine, killing at least 70 Ukrainian soldiers, local officials say, making it the deadliest attack since the war began.

The attack happened on Monday when Russian artillery hit a military base in Okhtyrka, a small city about 49 kilometers (30 miles) from the border with Russia and 100 kilometers (62 miles) northwest of Kharkiv.

“Bodies continue to be pulled from underneath the rubble,” Dmytro Zhyvytskyy, the head of the Sumy regional administration, said on Tuesday morning. “Places for about 70 dead Ukrainian soldiers are being prepared in the cemetery.”

Other details about Monday’s attack were not immediately known, but Zhyvytskyy released photos and videos which showed that multiple buildings were either destroyed or severely damaged.

“The enemy also got what it deserved,” he added, while showing photos of 4 bodies which he said belonged to Russian soldiers.

Hundreds of soldiers and civilians have been killed since Russia launched a full invasion of Ukraine. The incident in Okhtyrka appears to be the deadliest attack since the war began.