Lviv street cleaner carries on shovelling snow after Shahed drone explodes, video goes viral

On the morning of 15 January, a Russian drone exploded as it landed on a children's playground in Lviv near the monument to Stepan Bandera [a Ukrainian nationalist leader who was a key figure in the struggle for Ukraine's independence in the mid-20th century – ed.]. Municipal workers were on duty nearby at the time, including a street cleaner named Olha.

Source: Olha to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

Details: Olha had not gone to the shelter when the air-raid warning was issued, and she was close to the site of the blast. As soon as the Shahed drone exploded, she immediately went back to shovelling snow.

Olha, 59, has worked as a street cleaner for 10 years, helping to keep the city clean.

Quote from Olha: "My colleague and I were standing there. I was cleaning the bus stop. I didn't know anything was going to fly in. Then we were told to run, and it flew right over our heads. There was a dull but very loud explosion.

I thought it was a mine, but the police officer said it was a Shahed."

Details: Later, Lviv Mayor Andrii Sadovyi called Olha to check how she was feeling. She told him she was fine.

Quote from Sadovyi: "I don't know whether to thank you or to scold you. Your courage today has impressed everyone in Ukraine. I want to thank you for serving the community and for your work. We will thank you separately as well.

But I also want to stress that when there is an air raid, please take care and stay safe. I understand there is work to be done, but your safety comes first."

A video of Olha at the scene quickly went viral, with Ukrainians praising her calm reaction to the drone explosion.

"The level of stress resistance I aspire to," a Threads user named Dasha commented under the video.

Historian and journalist Vakhtang Kipiani added: "The nervous system of this Ukrainian woman, Olha from Lviv, should be recognised as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage."

Background:

• An explosion was heard after a Russian drone landed on a children's playground near the Stepan Bandera monument in Lviv on 15 January.
• The blast wave slightly affected a tractor driver who was clearing snow nearby, but he is fine. No one was killed in the attack.
• Early reports indicated that nine residential buildings have been damaged, with windows blown out. Stained-glass windows at the Church of Saints Olha and Elizabeth were also damaged. Windows were shattered at School No. 55, a nearby college and two buildings of Lviv Polytechnic National University.

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