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Later in the evening, the State Border Guard Service said that communication with the island had been lost. One Ukrainian border guard live-streamed the moment that the Russian warship opened fire. An audio clip of the exchange was first shared by Ukrainian government official Anton Herashchenko, then widely publicized by Ukrayinska Pravda, and later verified as authentic by Ukrainian government sources. When the Russian warship identified itself and ordered the Ukrainian soldiers stationed on the island to surrender, a border guard later identified as Roman Hrybov replied, " Russian warship, go fuck yourself." (Russian: 'Русский военный корабль, иди на хуй', tr. 'Go fuck yourself', Ukrainian soldiers on Snake Island tell Russian ship – audio on YouTube – via The Guardian In August 2021, as Russian forces built up around Ukraine, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a press event on the island, during which he said: "This island, like the rest of our territory, is Ukrainian land, and we will defend it with all our might." Capture by Russia The only settlement on the island is Bile, built in 2007.
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The island also has economic importance, as within the exclusive economic zone that it projects are significant reserves of hydrocarbons. This position makes it strategically important, allowing whoever controls it to blockade Odesa and dominate large parts of the Black Sea, including the area Constanta. Snake Island is a rocky island of less than 1 square kilometre (0.4 sq mi) off the southern coast of Ukraine, located 45 kilometres (28 mi) from the coast of Romania and at the southern boundary of Ukrainian territorial waters in the Black Sea.
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Resistance movement in occupied Ukraine.Russian bombardment of the island continues until 7 July.Russia occupies Snake Island from 24 February to 30 June.