UPDATE: On February 28, Ukrainian officials corrected initial reports and stated the border guards who rebuked the Russian warship are “alive and well” after being captured by the opposition following their attempt to defend the island.
Thirteen Ukrainian border guards are being hailed as heroes after they defiantly resisted a Russian warship that threatened their outpost at Snake Island.
According to CNN, which obtained radio transmission of the event, a Russian military warship approached Snake Island and told the Ukrainian defenders to “lay down their weapons and surrender to avoid bloodshed and needless casualties.” The Ukrainian soldiers responded by saying, “Russian warship, go f*** yourself” before they were killed.
An officer on a Russian warship told Ukrainian soldiers to surrender. A Ukrainian soldier told them to "go fuck yourself." The soldiers were killed afterward, CNN reporting pic.twitter.com/ht1LvRFCqn
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) February 25, 2022
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has confirmed the event and plans to honor the slain border guards with the “Hero of Ukraine” medal.
President Zelensky confirmed the event and said the border guards died bravely defending the island and would be posthumously awarded the Hero of Ukraine medal, according to @ukrpravda_news. https://t.co/Jv0siyIz9x
— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) February 24, 2022