Extract from ABC News
Ukraine says it will posthumously honour a group of Ukrainian border guards who were killed defending a tiny island in the Black Sea during a multi-pronged Russian invasion.
Key points:
- A Ukrainian official circulated an audio recording he said was an exchange between Ukrainian and Russian forces
- Ukraine's President said all 13 guards stationed there would posthumously receive the title Hero of Ukraine
- Russian officials said 82 soldiers had surrendered and made no mention of casualties
Ukraine lost contact with its forces on Zmiinyi (Snake) Island, a speck of land south of the port of Odesa, on Thursday after Russia conducted strikes from air and sea, Kyiv said.
A Ukrainian official said all 13 guards stationed there had been killed and he circulated an audio clip that he and media outlet Ukrainskaya Pravda said was an exchange between Ukrainian and Russian forces.
"This is a Russian warship. I propose you lay down your weapons and surrender to avoid bloodshed and unnecessary victims. Otherwise, you will be bombed," the warship allegedly broadcast
"Russian warship, go f*** yourself," came the reply.
Anton Herashchenko, an adviser to the interior minister, said Russia then began strikes.
The authenticity of the recording could not be independently verified by Reuters.
Snake Island is 300 kilometres west of Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, has previously been the subject of a territorial dispute with Romania.
Its maritime borders take in an area viewed as strategically important for resources including petroleum.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy promised in a speech summarising Thursday's fighting to decorate the deceased border guards.
"On our Zmiinyi Island, defending it to the last, all the border guards died heroically," he said in comments on his website.
"But they did not give up. All of them will be posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine."
On Friday, Russia's defence ministry said 82 Ukrainian soldiers on the island had surrendered to them voluntarily.
It made no mention of carrying out strikes or inflicting casualties.
Reuters
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