The Ukrainian border security service expresses that hope on Facebook. “The Border Guard, the armed forces and all of Ukraine are hopeful that all the defenders of Snake Island are still alive. Russian media reported that Ukrainian soldiers on the island have been transferred to Russian-occupied Sevastopol.” Sevastopol is located on the Crimean peninsula, which had already been occupied by the Russians.
According to the border guard, the defenders of the small island in the Black Sea west of Crimea were reported to have been killed, fueled mainly by the loss of contact with the defenders immediately after the shelling. The Russian navy opened fire on February 24 after border guards responded disdainfully to a call to surrender. The shelling destroyed all infrastructure on the island.
According to the information available at the time, the infrastructure has been destroyed and the island has been taken, but now there are indications that the defenders are still alive. The heroic attitude of the defenders is exemplary of the attitude of the Ukrainian people, according to the border guard. “Until now, the enemy has repeatedly tried in vain to intimidate Ukrainian defenders with demands to surrender and got only one correct answer – no one will surrender.”
