Hero’s welcome for the Ukrainian POWs who told Putin warship to ‘Go f*** yourself’ while defending Snake Island as they are liberated in prisoner swap
Nineteen heroic Ukrainian defenders of Snake Island were freed today during a prisoner of war exchange with Russia.
They became an international symbol of Ukrainian resistance at the start of the brutal war, some 27 months ago, after telling a Russian warship: “Go the fuck away.”
They were one of 75 from each side to be swapped in a new release deal.
On the Ukrainian side, it also included defenders of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, which briefly fell under Russian control, and fighters from Mariupol.
The returnees were seen singing a patriotic song led by former prisoner of war Konstantin Mirgorodsky as they were driven to their families after their release from detention in Russia.
Nineteen heroic Ukrainian defenders of Snake Island were freed today in a POW exchange with Russia
Snake Island (pictured) in the Black Sea made headlines at the start of the war when heroic defenders famously radioed an approaching Russian cruiser to ‘Go f*** yourself’.
The 19 men taken from Snake Island (pictured) were released as part of a prisoner swap with Russia
Volodymyr Zelensky (pictured) said today: “All this time we have not stopped working for a single day to bring everyone home from Russian captivity.”
Upon arrival, they whooped and cheered as they joined their loved ones in Ukraine.
One of today’s emotional returnees was Ukrainian policewoman Maryana Chechelyuk, 24, who was feared dead after being held at the Olenivka detention center where dozens of Ukrainian prisoners of war were killed in a massacre.
The young police officer had been at the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol when defenders surrendered to Putin’s forces.
She was separated from her younger sister and taken to a brutal filter camp.
In August 2022, human rights activists expressed concern about her fate in Russian hands.
Snake (or Zmiyinyi) Island in the Black Sea made headlines at the start of the war when heroic defenders famously radioed an approaching Russian cruiser to ‘Go f*** you’.
An emotional returnee today was Ukrainian policewoman Maryana Chechelyuk, 24, (pictured), who was feared dead
Ukrainian defenders on the island spent more than 800 days in Russian captivity
It was the first PoW exchange since February
The POWs were greeted by their friends and family
They were seen singing songs on the bus ride back to their loved ones
Ukrainian defenders on the island spent more than 800 days in Russian captivity.
The Russians captured the island but later withdrew in a humiliating setback for Vladimir Putin, which Moscow bizarrely called a “gesture of goodwill.”
The Russian ship – the Moskva, the flagship of the Black Sea Fleet – was later sunk in a Ukrainian missile attack, perhaps Putin’s biggest setback in the war.
The strategic rock formation was visited by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the occasion of the 500th day of the war.
He said today: ‘In all this time, we have not stopped for a single day in our work to bring everyone home from Russian captivity.
‘We commemorate every person.
The captured soldiers whooped and cheered as they returned home
‘We are doing everything we can to find all our people. I am grateful to the team responsible for the exchange.”
Zelensky said when he visited the island: ‘This small piece of land in the middle of our Black Sea is a great proof that Ukraine will return every part of its territory to itself.
‘I want to thank you from this place.
“Victory for all our soldiers during these 500 days, our armed forces, our intelligence services.”
He praised all Ukrainian services for defending the country against Putin’s invaders.
‘We are moving forward. Thank you to all of you.”
The same number of Russians, 75, were also sent home in an exchange mediated by the United Arab Emirates.
It was the first PoW exchange since February.