Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky takes a picture as he visits Snake Island in the Black Sea (Picture: Reuters)
Volodymyr Zelensky has marked the 500th day of Vladimir Putin’s war by visiting Snake Island – scene of one of Ukraine’s first major victories.
The strategic Black Sea outcrop came to prominence in the early days of the invasion when a Russian warship demanded its Ukrainian defenders either surrender or die.
Their response to the approaching cruiser made headlines around the world: ‘Go f**k yourself.’
The phrase became a national slogan, depicted on Ukrainian billboards, T-shirts, and eventually a postage stamp showing a Ukrainian guard standing on the outcrop, giving the flagship the finger.
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The day the stamp was released, April 14, two Ukrainian missiles struck the Moskva, the biggest warship sunk in combat for 40 years.
Officially, Russia says one sailor was killed in an accident. Western experts say they believe around half of the crew of about 450 perished at sea.
Russia was forced to abandon Snake Island on June 30 after taking heavy losses trying to defend it. It called its withdrawal another ‘goodwill gesture’.
Zelensky was accompanied on the risky boat trip by his military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov.
The spymaster has been reported dead or fatally wounded several times in the Russian state media.
President Zelensky pays tribute to defenders on the 500th day of Vladimir Putin’s war against his country (Picture: Volodymyr Zelensky/east2west new)
He vowed ‘we will win’ (Picture: Volodymyr Zelensky/east2west new)
Telling his people ‘we will win’, he said: ‘I wish you health, dear Ukrainians. Today we are on Snake [Island], our Snake, which will never be held by occupants, because we are a land of the brave.
‘Today we are honouring our Ukrainian heroes, all warriors who fought for this island and liberated it. And this small piece of land in the middle of our Black Sea is a great proof that Ukraine will return to itself every part of its territory.
‘I want to thank you from this very place. Victories to each of our soldiers for these 500 days, our armed forces, our intelligence.’
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Zelensky’s visit was another of his regular trips to the frontline, in contrast to Putin who rarely goes near danger zones.
It provoked the ire of Russian hardline war analyst Sergei Mardan, who questioned how the visit could take place without an attack from the Kremlin.
‘Zelensky arrived on Snake Island along with Budanov, “killed” a month ago,’ he raged, saying they were ‘an ideal target for a missile attack’ from Russian occupied Crimea some 60 miles away.
‘But they didn’t hit – again.’
Mardan questioned how Zelensky ‘freely comes to the frontline zone, without fear for his life’.
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‘I want to thank you from this very place. Victories to each of our soldiers for these 500 days, our armed forces, our intelligence.’