Zelenskyy on Snake Island: ‘I want to thank every soldier from here for these 500 days’

The president posted relevant videos from the island on his social media pages.

"500 days of the full-scale war. Snake Island. The free island of free Ukraine," he said.

Zelensky also thanked the Ukrainian Armed Forces and noted that the liberated island is a great proof that Ukraine will regain every part of its territory.

“I am grateful to everyone who fought here against the occupiers. We commemorated the heroes who gave their lives in this battle – one of the most important during the full-scale war,” the president added. 

The president was accompanied by the head of his office, Andriy Yermak, and the head of the Defense Ministry's Main Intelligence Directorate, Kyrylo Budanov.

Some details on the de-occupation of Snake Island (Zmiinyi) 

Russia's attacks on the Ukrainian Snake Island began on February 24, 2022, with a rocket fire on the Ukrainian border garrison and its subsequent capture. At the end of the day, communication with the border guard detachment was lost. However, their heroic phrase, which has become a catchphrase, remained, and the military responded to the demand to surrender: "Russian warship, go f**k yourself!"

On February 26, the State Border Guard Service expressed hope that the heroic defenders of the island were alive. On February 28, it became clear that Ukrainian soldiers were in captivity.

The key to the liberation of the island was the sinking of the flagship of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Navy, the Moskva cruiser, on April 13, 2022, by two anti-ship missiles of the new Ukrainian mobile coastal complex RK-360MC Neptune.

On June 27, Ukraine launched 10 precision strikes on Snake Island and destroyed another anti-aircraft missile system.

On June 30, 2022, the Russian garrison was hastily evacuated. The Russian Defense Ministry stated that the Russians did so as a 'gesture of goodwill.' British intelligence concluded that the Russians had left the island because of the isolation of the military garrison and its vulnerability to Ukrainian strikes. On July 1, the Russians attacked it with phosphorus bombs from Russian  Su-30 aircraft.

On July 3, enemy Su-24 bombers under the cover of a Su-30 fighter jet launched two strikes on Snake Island in the Black Sea.

On July 7 of 2022, the Ukrainian military returned the flag of Ukraine to Snake Island, which had been under the control of Russian troops for several months, and cleared the island, discovering 30 pieces of Russian equipment.