Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States Oksana Markarova speaks during a press conference at the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington, DC on February 24.
Patrick Semansky / AP
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Patrick Semansky / AP
Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States Oksana Markarova speaks during a press conference at the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington, DC on February 24.
Patrick Semansky / AP
A group of Ukrainian soldiers stationed on a military outpost on the island who are believed to have died after a rough but vulgar interaction with a Russian warship last week may still be alive, officials Ukraine announced on Sunday.
Ukrainian troops on Zmiiniy island – also known as Snake Island – may have instead been captured by Russian troops, according to a declare from the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine.
“We really hope that the boys return home as soon as possible and the information received at the time of the fatal attack will not be confirmed,” the statement read.
Last Thursday, a Russian warship is said to have approached Snake Island, located in the Black Sea off the Ukraine-Romania border, and demanded the surrender of Ukrainian forces there.
“This is a Russian warship,” someone said in a verified recording of the standoff. “I ask you to fold your arms in surrender to avoid bloodshed and unnecessary deaths. Otherwise, you will be bombed.”
The answer from Ukraine was simple: “Russian warship. Go yourself.”
The interaction has gone viral on social media, demonstrating the war that Ukraine’s military excels at but despite being waged against the much larger Russian army.
Ukrainian Ambassador Oksana Markarova said 13 Ukrainian defenders were killed in the fighting that followed. President of Ukraine Volodmyr Zelenskyy announced that each member of the army will be posthumously awarded the title Hero of Ukraine.
However, Ukraine’s border guards now say that Russian media reports suggest that the captured guards have been sent to Sevastopol, a city in Crimea annexed by Russia.
TASS, Russian state news agency, say on friday that no Ukrainian troops were killed in the confrontation but that 82 Ukrainian servicemen had “voluntarily surrendered” to Russian forces.
Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov said the captured soldiers were signing “a document swearing to reject military resistance” and would soon be returned to their families.
