The viral heroes of the Ukrainian resistance are “alive and well.”
Last week, 13 Ukrainian border guards made national headlines in a defiant stand against an incoming Russian warship when they refused to surrender their posts on Snake Island in the Black Sea.
“This is a Russian warship,” an unidentified voice says in an audio clip that emerged online. “I propose you lay down your weapons and surrender to avoid bloodshed and unnecessary victims. Otherwise you will be bombed.”
“Russian warship, go f—k yourself,” the Ukrainians replied.
At the time, Ukrainian officials announced that the guards were all presumed dead after the Russian troops opened fire, despite Russia’s insistence that the guards had surrendered. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that he would award them posthumous heroism honors as a “Hero of Ukraine.”
On Monday, the Ukrainian army revealed that the soldiers were actually alive and had been “taken captive by Russian occupiers.”
“We are very happy to learn that our brothers are alive and well with them!” the army wrote on Facebook.
Officials also accused the Russian army of twisting the narrative, claiming that they conveniently “‘forgot’ to report that they had completely destroyed the island’s infrastructure: lighthouse, carnations, antennas.”
