Snake Island
(Picture: Google Maps)Ukrainian soldiers believed to have died while defending an island from Russian forces may still be alive, according to Ukraine’s State Border Guard.
The 13 soldiers, who were stationed on Zmiinyi (Snake) Island Island, in the Black Sea, recorded themselves talking about an enemy attack from Russian forces on Thursday.
In a radio exchange shared on Twitter, a Russian officer says: “This is a military warship. This is a Russian military warship.
“I suggest you lay down your weapons and surrender to avoid bloodshed and needless casualties. Otherwise, you will be bombed.”
One soldier manning the radio turns to another and says “This is it. Should I tell him to go f*** himself?”
They reply: “Just in case.”
Turning up the volume on the dial, the first soldier says: “Russian warship, go f*** yourself.”
Those were the final known words heard from the island.
In an address after the first day of the Russian invasion, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky announced he would posthumously award all the soldiers the Hero of Ukraine award.
“All border guards died heroically but did not give up,” he said.
But in a statement posted on Facebook, the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine said: “We [have a] strong belief that all Ukrainian defenders of Zmiinyi (Snake) Island may be alive.”
“After receiving information about their possible location, the [border guard] together with the Armed Forces of Ukraine are conducting work on identifying our soldiers.”
“We sincerely hope that the boys will return home as soon as possible,” it said.
“Glory to Ukrainian defenders!” it added.
