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“Our forces carried out strikes on enemy positions on Serpents’ Island,” the Ukrainian army’s Southern Command posted on Facebook on Tuesday evening, claiming to have hit a “checkpoint” and destroyed a system. anti-aircraft. “The Russians’ losses are being clarified,” he added.
Russia has not confirmed that any fire hit the island, which it took control of shortly after its invasion of Ukraine began on February 24.
This small island in the Black Sea has become a symbol in Ukraine since a radio exchange, which went viral on social networks, in which, on the first day of the conflict, Ukrainian border guards shouted “Fuck you, Russian military ship! ” to the Russian cruiser, the Moskva, which ordered them to surrender.
Shortly after this exchange, the ship had bombarded the island and the Ukrainian soldiers had been taken prisoner. They were later released in a prisoner exchange, according to kyiv.
The recording of this verbal exchange had served as a leitmotiv for the Ukrainian resistance, the invective of the border guards even appearing on placards during demonstrations of support abroad, and on Ukrainian stamps.
The cruiser Moskva, flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, sank in mid-April after being hit by Ukrainian missiles, according to kyiv. Moscow claimed for its part that it had been damaged by an explosion on board.
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