Reports from Ukrainian officials state that the brave 13 soldiers stationed at Snake Island are presumed alive but captives of the Russian army. The men went viral two days ago when audio surfaced of the men telling the crew of a Russian battleship to ‘go f*ck’ themselves after they were ordered by the Russians to lay down their arms.
According to Euro News, Russia had denied allegations that the 13 Ukrainian soldiers were killed by air and sea strikes. Russian state TV later showed what it claimed was footage of the soldiers alive in custody, but the footage could not be independently verified.
“We are very happy to learn that our brothers are alive and everything is well with them,” it said in a statement.
The State Border Guard Service of Ukraine (SBGSU) had also u-turned and suggested that the 13 border guards may still be alive.
Kyiv said that the island’s communications and infrastructure had been “completely destroyed” by Russian “occupiers,” making it harder to find out what had happened to the soldiers.
The island was destroyed and the men were presumed dead, understandably. Reports show that the island was not equipped to tango with a warship so the bravery shown by the men on the island is undisputable.
Watch
Day 6 of the biggest ground war in Europe since World War II found Russia increasingly isolated, beset by the sanctions that have thrown its economy into turmoil and left the country practically friendless, apart from a few nations like China, Belarus and North Korea.
As the fighting in Ukraine raged, the death toll remained unclear. One senior Western intelligence official estimated that more than 5,000 Russian soldiers had been captured or killed. Ukraine gave no overall estimate of troop losses.
The U.N. human rights office said it has recorded 136 civilian deaths. The real toll is believed to be far higher.