Symbol of the “Land of the Brave”
Zelenskyj celebrates 500th day of the war on Snake Island
07/08/2023 11:54 am
Snake Island in the Black Sea becomes the epitome of resistance early in the war of aggression against Ukraine. After Russian occupation, the island is liberated again. On the 500th day of the war, President Zelenskyy swears by the bravery of his compatriots during a visit to Snake Island.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has visited the symbolic Snake Island in the Black Sea. “Today we are on Snake Island, which, like the whole of Ukraine, will never be conquered by the occupying forces,” said Zelenskyy in an undated video published on online networks. He described Ukraine as “the land of the brave”.
Selenskyj laid flowers at a memorial.
(Photo: via REUTERS)
“From here, from this place of victory, I would like to thank each of our soldiers for these 500 days,” said Zelenskyj, referring to the duration of the Russian war of aggression. The video shows him arriving on the island by boat and laying flowers at a memorial.
Since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression, Snake Island has been a symbol of the Ukrainian resistance. On the first day of the invasion that began in February last year, the crew of the Russian warship Moskva, which later sank, had asked the Ukrainian border guards stationed on the island to surrender.
“F…k you, Russian warship!” A border guard replied in a radio message that attracted attention around the world. A short time later, the Russian army took the island. The Ukrainian soldiers were captured and later released in a prisoner exchange.
At the end of June last year, the Russian army withdrew from the island. Moscow spoke of a “gesture of good will”, while Ukraine spoke of an important military victory for its troops.