Nineteen heroic Ukrainian defenders of Snake Island were freed today in a prisoner of war exchange with Russia.
They became an international symbol of Ukrainian resistance at the start of the brutal war some 27 months ago, after telling a Russian warship: “Fuck you.”
They were among 75 from each side traded in a new release deal.
Also on the Ukrainian side were the defenders of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, which briefly fell under Russian control, and the Mariupol fighters.
The returnees were seen singing a patriotic song led by former prisoner of war Konstantin Mirgorodsky as they were driven to meet their families after being released from detention in Russia.
Nineteen heroic Ukrainian defenders of Snake Island were freed today in a prisoner of war exchange with Russia
Snake Island (pictured) in the Black Sea made headlines at the start of the war when its heroic defenders radioed an approaching Russian cruiser: “Fuck you.”
The 19 men captured on Snake Island (pictured) were released as part of a prisoner exchange with Russia.
Volodymyr Zelensky (pictured) said today: “During all this time, we have not stopped working for a single day to bring everyone home from Russian captivity.”
Upon arrival, they shouted and cheered as they joined their loved ones in Ukraine.
An emotional returnee today was Ukrainian police officer Maryana Chechelyuk, 24, who was feared dead after being held in the Olenivka detention center, where dozens of Ukrainian prisoners of war died in a massacre.
The young police officer was at the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol when the defenders surrendered to Putin’s forces.
She was separated from her younger sister and taken to a brutal filtration camp.
In August 2022, human rights activists expressed alarm at their fate in Russian hands.
Snake Island, or Zmiyinyi, in the Black Sea, made headlines at the start of the war when its heroic defenders radioed an approaching Russian cruiser to say, “Fuck you.”
One of the excited returnees today was Ukrainian police officer Maryana Chechelyuk, 24 (pictured), who was feared dead.
Ukrainian defenders on the island spent more than 800 days in Russian captivity
It was the first PoW exchange since February.
The prisoners of war were received by their friends and family.
They were seen singing songs on the bus ride back to their loved ones.
Ukrainian defenders on the island spent more than 800 days in Russian captivity.
The Russians seized the island but then withdrew in a humiliating setback for Vladimir Putin that was bizarrely described as a “goodwill gesture” by Moscow.
The Russian ship, the Moskva, flagship of the Black Sea Fleet, was later sunk in a Ukrainian missile attack, perhaps the biggest setback of the war for Putin.
The strategic rock outcrop was visited by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to commemorate the 500th day of the war.
He said today: ‘During all this time, we have not stopped working a single day to bring everyone home from Russian captivity.
‘We remember each person.
The captured soldiers shouted and cheered when they returned home.
‘We are making every effort to find each and every one of our inhabitants. I am grateful to the team responsible for the exchanges.’
Zelensky said when he visited the island: “This small piece of land in the middle of our Black Sea is great proof that Ukraine will return every part of its territory to itself.”
‘I want to thank you from this very place.
‘Victory for each of our soldiers during these 500 days, our armed forces, our intelligence.’
He praised all Ukrainian services in defending the country against Putin’s invaders.
‘We move on. Thank you to each and every one of you.’
The same number of Russians, 75, were also returned to their homes in an exchange brokered by the United Arab Emirates.
It was the first PoW exchange since February.