13 Ukrainian soldiers are said to have died in the Russian attack on Snake Island. The Ukrainian Navy has now announced that the border guards have survived and are in Russian captivity.
It was one of the first reports from the Ukraine war: According to Ukraine, Russian troops had conquered Snake Island in the Black Sea. According to Interior Minister Herashchenko, 13 Ukrainian soldiers died, who were then celebrated as heroes. The border guards reportedly refused to surrender to the crew of the Russian warship. Instead, the Ukrainians insulted the enemy by shouting “Russian warship, fuck you!” radioed back.
On Monday, the Ukrainian Navy issued a completely different report: According to this, the soldiers who were supposedly killed were still alive and had been taken prisoner by the Russians. “We are very happy that our brothers are alive and doing well,” the Navy said. The State Border Guard Service of Ukraine had previously published a post on Facebook, according to which the soldiers could possibly still be alive.
Ukraine War: Infrastructure destroyed on Snake Island
Russia has destroyed the island’s entire infrastructure and captured a civilian ship, the Ukrainian Navy said. As a result, the lines of communication to the island were cut off. “Repeated attempts to contact the crew and learn more about their fate have been in vain.” The Russian attacks also made it impossible to send help to the island.
After their death in Ukraine, the 13 soldiers were celebrated for their spirit of resistance and courage. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned them in a speech and posthumously awarded them the title “Hero of Ukraine”, the country’s highest honor. On the Internet, the border guards’ radio message has become a popular expression of solidarity with Ukraine. An audio document was released after the attack, which allegedly contained radio communications between the Russian and Ukrainian soldiers.
Kremlin publishes alleged pictures of the soldiers
According to Russian information, soldiers are said to have surrendered without a fight. The Kremlin released images allegedly showing border guards on a bus. They may even be allowed to return to their families soon. It is difficult to verify to what extent this information is correct – both sides also use the fate of the soldiers for propaganda purposes.
The Snake Island has only an area of 17 hectares, but has great strategic importance. It is strategically important above all for rights to mineral resources in the sea and initially belonged to Romania, after the Second World War it was part of the Soviet Union. After the collapse of the USSR, a territorial dispute erupted between Ukraine and Romania, which was, however, settled amicably.
Swell: // DPA
Source: Stern
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