Attack
At around 18:00 local time on 24 February 2022,
Ukrainian State Border Guards announced that Snake Island, located in Ukrainian territorial waters in the Black Sea, had come under attack from
Russian Navy ships, during the first day of the
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.
[4][5] The cruiser
Moskva and patrol boat
Vasily Bykov were involved in the attack, using their deck guns.
[6]
According to audio shared by the
Ukrayinska Pravda, later verified by the Ukrainian government,
[7][8] when the Russian warship identified itself and instructed the Ukrainian soldiers stationed on the island to surrender, their response was "Russian warship, go fuck yourself" (Russian: 'Русский военный корабль, иди на хуй',
tr. Russky voyenny korabl, idi na khuy).
[9][10]
Later in the evening, the State Border Guard Service stated that communication with the island had been lost
[11] and at 22:00 (01:00 Moscow Time,
UTC+2), announced that Russian forces had captured the island following a naval and air bombardment that destroyed all infrastructure on the island.
[12][13] Following the bombardment, some of the Russian soldiers boarded Snake Island to take control.
[14] Thirteen border guards, representing the entirety of the Ukrainian military presence on the island, were killed after refusing to surrender;
[15][16] Russian defence media stated that there were 82 Ukrainian soldiers, who all surrendered unthreatened.
[8] One of the Ukrainian soldiers live-streamed the moment that the Russian warship opened fire.
[17]
Reaction
The Ukrainian border guards' defiant
last words "Russian warship, go fuck yourself"
went viral and became a rallying cry for Ukrainians and their supporters around the world.
[18] The Week compared the phrase to "
Remember the Alamo" from the 19th century
Republic of Texas.
[19]
On the day of the attack, President
Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that all thirteen guards will be posthumously awarded the title of
Hero of Ukraine, the highest Ukrainian military honor.
[10]
