Ukrainian Snake Island soldiers freed after telling Russian ship ‘go ---- yourself’
Ukrainian soldiers once feared dead after refusing to surrender to a Russian warship on Snake Island have now been freed one month into the Russian invasion.
Ukraine’s parliament shared news on Thursday, March 24, of the first prisoner swap with Russia, including the release of 19 Snake Island sailors who were “authors of the legendary phrase ‘Russian warship go ---- yourself.’” The island is also known as the island of Zmiinyi, located in the Black Sea off the coast of Ukraine and Romania.
In return, Ukraine released 11 Russian civilian sailors who were rescued from a sinking ship near the city of Odessa, which is located on Ukraine’s coast next to the Black Sea and north of Snake Island, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said.
Additionally, Ukraine exchanged 10 Russian “captured occupiers” for 10 Ukrainian servicemen, Vereshchuk added.
This comes after Ukraine’s border guard agency called for the return of the Snake Island soldiers from Russia’s “racist captivity” early March 24. It added that Ukraine was ready to return the 11 Russian sailors who were saved.
The Snake Island defenders were initially thought to have been killed on Feb. 24 during the first day of Russia’s invasion, McClatchy News previously reported.
However, the Ukrainian navy wrote on Feb. 28 that “we are very happy to learn that our brothers are alive and well.”
The audio of the exchange between the Russian warship and the soldiers on Snake Island — translated into English — was shared widely and made headlines across the globe.
“Snake Island, I am a Russian warship. I suggest you lay down your arms and surrender. Otherwise, you will be hit. Do you copy?,” Russian forces are heard saying, according to translated audio shared by The Guardian and other outlets.
“Well, this is it,” a Ukrainian soldier is heard speaking to his comrades. “Should I tell him to go ---- himself?”
“Just in case,” another soldier responds.
“Russian warship, go ---- yourself,” the soldier tells the Russians in defiance.
The Snake Island soldiers will be returning home on the ship called “Sapphire,” which was initially captured by Russia during the attack on the island, according to Vereshchuk.
The prisoner exchange comes as Ukraine confirmed on March 25 that 300 civilians died after Russian forces bombed a theater in Mariupol where more than 1,300 Ukrainians were sheltering on March 16, the Associated Press reported.
One day after the attack, President Joe Biden called Russian President Vladimir Putin a “war criminal,” according to CNN.
In Ukraine, 1,035 civilians have died and 1,650 more have been injured in the conflict as of March 24, according to the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Additionally, 3.7 million refugees have fled into neighboring countries in Europe as of March 24.
This story was originally published March 25, 2022 at 10:42 AM with the headline "Ukrainian Snake Island soldiers freed after telling Russian ship ‘go ---- yourself’."
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