Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced Thursday that a group of 13 border guards who who were presumed dead after defending Zmiinyi Island, or Snake Island, would be each be named a “Hero of Ukraine,” the country’s highest honor.
When troops from a Russian warship approached the island, the Ukrainians told one of them “go f*** yourself,” according to a recording of the interaction posted on the website of Ukrainian news outlet Ukrayinska Pravda.
“I am a Russian warship,” said a voice from the ship as it approached the 42-acre island marking the edge of Ukraine’s territorial waters in the Black Sea. “I ask you to lay down your arms and surrender to avoid bloodshed and unnecessary deaths. Otherwise, you will be bombed.”
“Russian warship,” said the guards, “go f*** yourself.”
Then, the Russians opened fire.
According to The Washington Post, news of the defiant Ukrainians went viral Thursday, less than a day after Russia began a long-expected invasion of Ukraine.
“What does it say about Ukraine that they have men and women that would not surrender to an overwhelming force,” tweeted Rep. Ruben Gallego (D.-Ariz.), a Marine Corps veteran. “Ukraine is a country that wants to be independent.”
For weeks, Russian troops have been gathering near Ukraine, a former Soviet country that parted ways with Russia after the fall of the Soviet Union and has made a “choice for democracy and closer ties with Europe,” according to the Brookings Institute.
Ukraine is also interested in joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which was formed to oppose the Soviet Union. Russian President Vladimir Putin is opposed to Ukraine joining NATO and has denied its legitimacy as a sovereign nation.
“We have met today to discuss the gravest threat to Euro-Atlantic security in decades. We condemn in the strongest possible terms Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, enabled by Belarus,” said NATO in a statement Friday. “We call on Russia to immediately cease its military assault, to withdraw all its forces from Ukraine and to turn back from the path of aggression it has chosen.”
The U.S. and countries across the world have imposed sanctions on Russia for the invasion.
As of Friday, the Russian invasion into Ukraine included a battle for control of Kyiv, the capitol of Ukraine and its most populous city, said CNN. Russians also took control of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and attacked other cities throughout the country.
Though it is sparsely populated, Snake Island – which has been the subject of territorial disputes in the past – has a strategic position in the Black Sea, as it connects a shipping corridor to the Ukrainian cities of Odessa, Mykolaiv and Kherson. There have been reports of 18 deaths in Odessa and Russian troops in Kherson.
Zelensky said that at least 137 people have been killed and 316 had been injured as of the first day of the invasion. He has vowed Ukraine will defend itself and ordered a full military mobilization.
“But now the fate of the country depends entirely on our army, on our heroes, our security forces, all our defenders,” Zelensky said.
In addition to the Snake Island guards, Ukrainian military forces were continuing to offer “strong resistance,” to Russian forces as of Friday, according to The Independent.
“Wars rarely go according to plans, and this one is set to turn bad for Russia because it is based on serious miscalculations about Ukraine’s capacity to defend its statehood, the strength of NATO resolve, and quite possibly the readiness of Russians to partake in this aggression,” said the Brookings Institute. “Every setback will prompt Putin to raise the stakes yet further.”
Although recent conflict between Russia and Ukraine includes Russia’s invasion of the Crimean Peninsula in 2014, this week’s invasion has gone deep into Ukraine. Even Russian citizens have protested against the attacks, which have reportedly claimed at least one child and are the largest attack on a European country since World War II.
Since Ukraine is not a NATO member, the U.S. is not obligated to send troops to the country. However, it would be obligated to defend nearby nations such as Latvia and Estonia. U.S. President Joe Biden and Zelensky have also discussed further actions for Russia, said the Ukrainian president in a tweet.
This story has been updated to reflect that the Ukrainian guards on Snake Island have been found alive after being presumed dead.
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