Ukraine: Island Defenders Who Told Russian Warship To 'Go F**k Yourselves' Might Still Be Alive

Ukraine’s State Border Guard is holding out hope that a group of soldiers who heroically told Russian troops to 'go f*ck [themselves]' may still be alive.

News quickly spread of the amazing response given by the border guards defending Snake Island from a Russian bombardment on Thursday, February 24, the day Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Initial reports indicated the 13 soldiers had died after refusing to give up the island, which sits 186 miles west of Crimea, with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky seemingly confirming the reports as he said the guards 'died heroically but did not give up'.

However, a statement released by the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine has now indicated that the soldiers may not have died as first thought, saying: 'We [have a] strong belief that all Ukrainian defenders of Zmiinyi (Snake) Island may be alive.'

As cited by The Guardian, the service explained it had received 'information about their possible location' and is now working together with Ukraine's armed forces to conduct 'work on identifying [the] soldiers.'

Preliminary information which indicated the border guards may be dead came before the soldiers had lost contact, according to the statement, which also expressed hope that the reports of their deaths may be incorrect.

It added: 'We sincerely hope that the boys will return home as soon as possible. Glory to Ukrainian defenders!'

The soldiers were widely praised for their decision to tell a Russian warship to 'go f*ck yourself', with news of the response being shared online and applauded by those condemning the invasion.

Audio of the encounter, which has been transcribed by Politico, involved a soldier on the Russian warship telling the Ukrainians to 'lay down your arms and surrender to avoid bloodshed and unnecessary victims', warning they would be 'bombed' if they did not obey.

A male Ukrainian soldier could then be heard discussing the situation with one of his fellow fighters, saying: 'So that’s it … Should I tell them to f*ck themselves?'

A female Ukrainian soldier responded, 'Well, just in case', to which the male soldier addressed the Russians and said: 'Warship, go f*ck yourself.'

While under the impression that the soldiers involved had lost their lives in the bombardment, Zelensky revealed he would posthumously award all the soldiers the Hero of Ukraine award.

Snake Island, which is located in the Black Sea near the Ukrainian and Romanian coasts, is home to a marine research station.

If you would like to donate to the Red Cross Emergency Appeal, which will help provide food, medicines and basic medical supplies, shelter and water to those in Ukraine, click here for more information 

Topics: Ukraine, Russia, World News, Life, Politics

Emily Brown

Emily Brown is UNILAD Editorial Lead at LADbible Group. She first began delivering news when she was just 11 years old - with a paper route - before graduating with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University. Emily joined UNILAD in 2018 to cover breaking news, trending stories and longer form features. She went on to become Community Desk Lead, commissioning and writing human interest stories from across the globe, before moving to the role of Editorial Lead. Emily now works alongside the UNILAD Editor to ensure the page delivers accurate, interesting and high quality content.