Volodymyr Zelenskyy hails soldiers from Black Sea island to mark 500 days of war

Kyiv, July 8

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy marked the 500th day of the war on Saturday by hailing the country’s soldiers in a video from a Black Sea island that became the symbol of Ukraine’s resilience in the face of the Russian invasion.

Speaking from Snake Island, Zelenskyy honoured the Ukrainian soldiers who fought for the island and all other defenders of the country, saying reclaiming control of the island “is a great proof that Ukraine will regain every bit of its territory”. “I want to thank from here, from this place of victory each of our soldiers for these 500 days,” Zelenskyy said. “Thank you to everyone who fights for Ukraine!” It was unclear when the video was filmed. Zelenskyy was in Turkey on Saturday.

Russian forces took control of the tiny stone island on February 24, 2022, the day Moscow launched its invasion, in the apparent hope of using it as a staging ground for an assault on Odesa, Ukraine’s biggest port and the headquarters of its navy.

The island took on legendary significance for Ukraine’s resistance to the Russian invasion, when Ukrainian troops there reportedly received a demand from a Russian warship to surrender or be bombed. After the island was taken, the Ukrainian military heavily bombarded the small Russian garrison there, forcing the Russians to pull back on June 30 last year.

The Russian retreat reduced the threat of a seaborne Russian attack on Odesa and helped pave the way for a deal to resume Ukrainian grain exports. “Let the freedom that all our heroes of different times wanted for Ukraine and that must be won right now be a tribute to all those who gave their lives for Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said. AP