As Russia and Ukraine engage in war, a photo of Mary Magdalene, holding an anti-tank missile launcher, a spear, has attracted attention on social media. In the photo, Mary Magdalene, stylized as Eastern Orthodox Church portraits, is wearing a green dress and her halo is bright red. In addition, the iconic image as Saint Javelin has become the face of Ukraine’s resistance to the ongoing war.
A website with the same name has been started to raise funds to support Ukraine. The website is selling clothes, flags and stickers with icons.
What is Javelin?
Designed by US defense firms in the late 1980s, this lightweight weapon (about 50 pounds) can be fired by soldiers and does not require a milli launcher.
The spear is a “shoot and scout” weapon, which means once fired you don’t have to move it around to get it to your target. This allows troops to exit their targets with potential return fire, said a VICE report.
How did St. Javelin become the face of the Ukraine resistance?
Ukraine probably wouldn’t be able to compete with Russia without the spear.
Armored vehicles and tanks are usually most vulnerable at the top. Most of the armor and anti-missile protection are present on the sides and the spear cuts it completely by flying overhead and crashing with explosive force. Vice reports that the reusable CLU also doubles as a thermal imaging and night vision system when detached from the missile, which is a fine tool in itself.
Ukraine’s Defense Ministry has claimed that as of 26 February the Russian military has lost 3,500 soldiers, 102 tanks, 536 armored vehicles, 15 artillery pieces, 14 fighter jets, 8 helicopters, one BUK-1 system.
Ukraine first purchased missiles from the United States in 2018 as part of a $47 million military purchase.
As conditions heated up ahead of the invasion in late 2021, Ukrainians used weapons against Russian-backed separatists. Many videos related to this went viral on the internet.
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