Ukraine’s Ambassador to the USA Oksana Markarova speaks throughout a information convention on the Embassy of Ukraine in Washington, D.C. on Feb. 24.
Patrick Semansky/AP
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Patrick Semansky/AP
Ukraine’s Ambassador to the USA Oksana Markarova speaks throughout a information convention on the Embassy of Ukraine in Washington, D.C. on Feb. 24.
Patrick Semansky/AP
A gaggle of Ukrainian troopers stationed on an island army outpost who had been presumed useless after a terse but profane interplay with a Russian warship final week should still be alive, Ukrainian officers introduced Sunday.
The Ukrainian troops on Zmiiniy Island – often known as Snake Island – might as a substitute have been captured by Russian army forces, in keeping with a press release from the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine.
“We sincerely hope that the boys will return residence as quickly as attainable, and the data obtained on the time of the assault on the loss of life won’t be confirmed,” the assertion reads.
Final Thursday a Russian warship reportedly approached Snake Island, which is positioned within the Black Sea off the Ukraine-Romania border, and requested the Ukrainian forces there to give up.
“This can be a Russian warship,” somebody says in a verified recording of the standoff. “I ask you to put down your arms and give up to keep away from bloodshed and pointless deaths. In any other case, you may be bombed.”
The response from Ukraine was easy: “Russian warship. Go f*** your self.”
The interplay went viral on social media, exemplifying the struggle the outmatched however defiant Ukrainian army has been waging in opposition to the a lot bigger Russian army.
Ukrainian Ambassador Oksana Markarova mentioned 13 Ukrainian defenders had been killed within the combating that adopted. Ukrainian President Volodmyr Zelenskyy introduced that every service member would posthumously be awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine.
However the Ukrainian border guard service now says that Russian media experiences point out the captured defenders had been despatched to Sevastopol, a metropolis in Russian-annexed Crimea.
TASS, the Russian state information company, mentioned on Friday that no Ukrainian troops had died within the confrontation however reasonably that 82 Ukrainian service members “voluntarily surrendered” to Russian forces.
Russian Protection Ministry spokesman Main Basic Igor Konashenkov was quoted as saying the captured troopers had been signing “written vows to reject army resistance” and would quickly be returned to their households.
