Ukraine war
500th day of the beginning of the war: Zelenskyj visits Snake Island
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Snake Island on the 500th day of the war. photo
© Kay Nietfeld/dpa/Archive
“Russian warship, fuck off”: Snake Island became known after an incident involving a Russian warship. Now the Ukrainian President is visiting the symbolic site.
On the 500th day of the beginning of the war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the strategically important and long-fought battle Visited Snake Island in the Black Sea. “Today we honored our Ukrainian heroes, all the soldiers who fought for this island and liberated it,” said Zelenskyy in a video published on his Telegram channel on Saturday.
The clip shows, among other things, how the Ukrainian head of state, accompanied by the military, drives to the island and lays wreaths for the fallen.
Snake Island gained notoriety from an incident immediately after the outbreak of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. The crew of the island was radioed by Russian warships to surrender. The Ukrainian radio operator replied “Russian warship, fuck off”. Although the island was conquered by the attackers and the crew imprisoned, the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet involved, “Moscow”, sank just under two months later. The Snake Island was recaptured by the Ukrainians in July 2022.
The Snake Island is free and, like the whole of Ukraine, will never be completely occupied, Zelenskyy now assured in his video. Ukrainian troops are also making progress in other parts of the front, he assured. International military experts believe Ukraine’s recent offensive has only gained very little ground.