Thirteen Ukrainian soldiers, who were asked to surrender by a Russian warship, were killed after they refused. They instead called the bluff of the Russian ship.
The Ukrainian government has disclosed that it will honour a group of soldiers who died defending one of the country’s islands from Russian forces.
Thirteen Ukrainian soldiers, who were asked to surrender by a Russian warship, were killed after they refused. They instead called the bluff of the Russian ship.
An audio clip of the incident has surfaced on social media during the Russian invasion, and has been carried by many publications. It carries a warning from a Russian warship to Ukrainian soldiers defending the Snake Island in the Black Sea. After their refusal, the warship opens fire in which all 13 were killed.
According to the transcript of the audio exchange, one of the Russian ships contacted the outpost on approach “This is a Russian warship,” a voice says in the clip. “I propose you lay down your weapons and surrender to avoid bloodshed and unnecessary victims. Otherwise, you will be bombed.”
According to NDTV, another short video from the incident, which is doing the rounds on social media, shows two soldiers on the same Snake Island live-streaming it. These soldiers are outdoors and wearing military helmets.
Soon a gunshot is heard, and one of the soldiers is heard yelling. The video ends abruptly.
However, Ukraine said, they were the last statements heard from the island before Russia initiated attacks.
“On our Zmiinyi Island, defending it to the last, all the border guards died heroically,” remarked President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“But they did not give up. All of them will be posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine. Eternal memory to those who gave their lives for Ukraine.”
The official Russian account of the exchange is significantly different. Moscow asserts that the island’s 82 Ukrainian forces surrendered peacefully and makes no mention of conducting strikes or inflicting losses.
The Snake Island is strategically located on the southeast border of Ukraine, which was attacked by Russia on Thursday. It was approached by two naval vessels, according to reports in Ukrainian media.