Soon after the Russians invaded, Valentyn Didkovskiy, 72, was given a captured Russian grenade launcher, an RPG-18, as he was very familiar with the weapon. And even though he'd had a stroke in 2021 and told by his doctor to take it easy and live a 'quiet life,' avoiding stress, Didkovskiy was incensed enough when he saw Russian invaders riding through the streets of Bucha to plan his own ambush. Ironically, he'd learned his anti-tank skills over forty years ago in the Soviet army.
Hitting the fuel truck at just the right spot caused a massive explosion and fireball, triggering further explosions one after another down an entire block. His own home, as closest to the explosions was the most heavily damaged in the area. Miraculously, Didkovskiy survived without a scratch, save for singed eyebrows.
His grandson said later, "He's very brave. What can I say? I'm very proud of him." 'Grandpa' Didkovskiy just shook his head, seemingly embarrassed by all the attention.
Source: Radio Free Europe
Before Russia's February 24 invasion of Ukraine, pensioner Valentyn Didkovskiy lived a quiet life in the city of Bucha, near Kyiv, sometimes volunteering to bring supplies to Ukrainian troops. But as a Russian armored column rolled past his house on February 27, he picked up a grenade launcher he had been given by his soldier buddies who recovered it from an invading personnel carrier. Didkovskiy, who trained in the Soviet Army in 1979, used the weapon to blow up a fuel truck, sending the invasion into chaos. He captured the destruction in a mobile-phone video showing burned and wrecked vehicles in the streets.
