The Ukrainian soldiers who defended Snake Island from a Russian warship are actually all alive, Ukraine’s Navy has said.
The welcome news came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy mistakenly confirmed their deaths last week following a brave act of resistance.
The Ukrainian Navy confirmed in a statement that all the soldiers on the tiny island are “alive and well,” despite being attacked twice by the Russian forces and being forced to surrender “due to the lack of ammunition.”
The statement also said that the Russian attack completely destroyed the island’s infrastructure_ towers, antennas and lighthouses were all obliterated.
Russian state media showed the arrival of the Ukrainian soldiers in Sevastopol, Crimea where they are being held.
Russian propaganda is using the erroneous reports of their deaths to claim that the media can’t be trusted.
The Confirmation they were alive was widely reported on Wednesday.
Snake Island , which is called Insula Serpilor in Romanian and Zmiinyi Island in Ukrainian lies off the Ukrainian and Romanian coasts on the Black Sea. For years, it was the subject of a territorial dispute between the two countries.
A marine research station is situated on the island. The maritime borders take in an area understood to be strategically important for resources including petroleum.
