In defiant Ukraine, 13 soldiers on Snake Island defended their post by not surrendering to Russian troops who invaded their land. “Russian warship, go f*** yourself,” a soldier told the Russians surrounding the island, in an audio clip that became a symbol of exemplary courage in the war-torn country.
All 13 Ukrainian defenders were killed in Russian bombardment prompting President Volodymyr Zelensky to award them posthumously. Now, Ukraine will commemorate the soldiers' courage and sacrifice with a new postal stamp that says "Russian warship, go f*** yourself" with a fictional illustration of the now-famous exchange.
The winning illustration was by Lviv-based artist Boris Groh, Ukrainian First Deputy Foreign Minister Emine Dzhaparova announced on Twitter. "The sketch by artist Boris Groh received the most votes and will soon be published by Ukraine's state postal company," the minister said.
There are around 20 illustrations that have been shared on Facebook by the Ukrainian Postal Service Ukrposhta. They were chosen in an online competition that received over 500 entries. A public vote decided the winner.
One illustration shows 13 soldiers on Snake Island in the Black Sea, another shows a gigantic warship towering the island and the winning one shows a lone Ukrainian soldier flipping off the warship.
Here are all 20 stamps as shared by Ukrposhta on Facebook:
The 'Snake Island 13' were one of the many faces of courage and determination in the early days of the Russian invasion that began on February 24.
Read more: 'Go f*** yourself': How 13 soldiers on Ukraine's Snake Island defied Russians before getting killed
In a purported audio exchange, a Russian officer was heard telling a Ukrainian officer to surrender over the radio.
"This is a military warship. This is a Russian military warship. I suggest you lay down your weapons and surrender to avoid bloodshed and needless casualties. Otherwise, you will be bombed,” the recording says.
A Ukrainian soldier told his group: “This is it. Should I tell him to go f*** himself?”
He turned up the volume on his radio and told the Russian soldier: "Russian warship, go f*** yourself."
Moneycontrol cannot independently verify the authenticity of the audio clip.
President Zelensky paid tribute to the soldiers and hailed them as heroes. So did the rest of the country and social media.
“On our Zmiinyi Island, defending it to the last, all the border guards died heroically. But they did not give up. All of them will be posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine,” Zelensky said on his website.
Snake Island, also known as Zmiinyi Island, is around 48 km off the southern tip of the Ukrainian mainland in the Black Sea.
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