Nineteen Ukrainian heroes from Snake Island have finally returned home after a landmark prisoner exchange with Russia . The troops became an international symbol of Ukraine's resistance at the start of the brutal war over two years ago when they told a Russian warship: "Go f**k yourself." They were along 75 PoWs from each side swapped in a new release deal.
On the Ukrainian side it also included defenders of the radioactive Chernobyl nuclear power plant, which briefly fell under Russian control during the invasion, and fighters from Mariupol. The returnees were seen singing a patriotic song led by former PoW Konstantin Mirgorodsky as they were driven to meet their families following months of captivity. John Lewis ‘beautiful’ midi dress gets ‘lots of compliments’ and ‘fits perfectly’ Ukraine's heroes of Snake Island have finally been freed after 27 months as prisoners of war ( Image: Koord_shtab / East2west News) In the famous audio clip which spread across the world in February 2022, a soldier from a Russian military ship was heard telling the Ukrainian guards to “lay down your arms immediately to avoid bloodshed and unjustified deaths” or else face bombardment.
The guards responded “Russian warship, go f*** yourself" in a rallying cry which quickly became symbolic of the staunch Ukrainian defence. Ukrainian defenders on the island then spent more than 800 days in Russian captivity. The Russians grabbed the island but later retreated in a humiliating setbac.
