MOVIE NEWS – Die Hard has been included in the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence’s Christmas greetings as a message of hope for an “underdog” country.

Everybody loves an underdog story, and the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence has found that out. It based its Christmas message on the film Die Hard, which made Bruce Willis legendary. As Ukraine continues to fight the Russian invasion, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence shared a trailer of the movie on its Twitter account, drawing a direct comparison between the conflict still plaguing their country and the Christmas-themed action film.

The message attached to the video read:

“An underdog who wins against the bad guys. This is the kind of story we all enjoy. Dedicated to all the die hards on the front line. Ukraine will win! Yippee Ki-Yay…!”

The Russia-Ukraine war has been going on since 2014, but Russia’s open invasion attempt in February caused a terrible escalation. Nearly a year later, the conflict is still ongoing, with the smaller country showing unprecedented resistance to the odds. At the time of writing, Russian attacks have killed more than 6,000 Ukrainian civilians and wounded more than 10,000. Russian casualties are not so clearly recorded but are estimated at more than 100,000, including deaths, wounded and those who deserted the fighting.

Die Hard is the perfect metaphor for the Russian-Ukrainian war

When looking for comparisons, many underdog films could be referenced concerning the Ukraine conflict, but Die Hard’s choice is certainly one where the similarities are striking.

The movie tells the story of John McClane, a New York City police detective played by Bruce Willis. He gets caught up in a terrorist incident while trying to reconcile with his estranged wife at a Christmas party in Nakatomi Plaza, Los Angeles.

Throughout the film, McClane finds himself going up against an army of bad guys on his own. He tries to rescue his wife and other hostages from terrorist leader Hans Gruber. Although in the real world, it is unlikely that McClane would make it to the film’s climax, the magic of storytelling in Hollywood ensures that he can confront Gruber and save the day. Just as it starts to snow outside…

This snow is just one of the reasons why Die Hard is consistently hailed as the “greatest Christmas story ever told.” While San Deigo County has officially declared it a Christmas movie, the rest of the world has yet to decide. While the flick is not your usual family-friendly holiday movie, it does have many classic Christmas movie qualities. Among other things, it takes place on Christmas Eve, features several Christmas songs, and is the story of an ordinary guy trying to be with his family on Christmas. No matter how much we argue about the subject, the film is unlikely to disappear from the Christmas offerings anytime soon.

Source: Twitter

An underdog who wins against the bad guys. This is the kind of story we all enjoy.
Dedicated to all the die hards on the front line.
Ukraine will win!
Yippee Ki-Yay…! pic.twitter.com/JaZzqlOZA7

— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) December 26, 2022