Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has marked the 500th day of the war against Russia by paying tribute to the country's fallen soldiers from a Black Sea island that became the symbol of Ukraine's resilience in the face of the invasion.
Speaking from Snake Island while wearing a black hoodie and camouflage bullet-proof vest, Mr Zelenskyy laid flowers to honour those who fought for the island and all other defenders of the country.
"I want to thank — exactly from here, from this place of victory — each of our soldiers for these 500 days," he said in a video.
"May the freedom that all of our heroes of different times wanted for Ukraine, and which we have to win now, be a tribute to all those who gave their lives for Ukraine."
He added that "although it is a small piece of land in the middle of our Black Sea", reclaiming control of the island "is a great proof that Ukraine will regain every bit of its territory".
It was unclear when the video was filmed as Zelenskyy was in Türkiye on Saturday.
Snake Island took on legendary significance for Ukraine's resistance when guards on the barren outcrop were reportedly shelled after refusing a demand from a Russian warship.
Russian officers on the Black Sea Fleet flagship Moskva radioed, ordering them to surrender or die in the first hours of the invasion.
The answer supposedly came back: "Russian warship, go f*** yourself."
Ukraine's president said at the time that all 13 guards would be honoured posthumously, but Russia denied anyone had been killed, claiming soldiers had surrendered.
Days later, it was revealed the soldiers were captured and alive, and within a month they were freed as part of a prisoner exchange.
The phrase became a national slogan, depicted on Ukrainian billboards, T-shirts, and eventually a postage stamp.
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.
On April 14, 2022, two Ukrainian missiles struck the Moskva, making it the biggest warship sunk in combat for 40 years.
Russia says one sailor was killed in an accident, but Western experts say they believe around half of the crew of about 450 perished at sea.
The Ukrainian military heavily bombarded the small Russian garrison there, and Russia abandoned the island on June 30 after taking heavy losses trying to defend it. It called its withdrawal another "goodwill gesture".
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.
Ukraine vows it won't use cluster bombs in Russia
Ukraine's Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov welcomed a US decision to send cluster bombs to Kyiv, saying it would help to liberate Ukrainian territory but promised the munitions would not be used in Russia.
The US announced on Friday it would supply Ukraine with widely banned cluster munitions for its counteroffensive against occupying Russian forces.
Mr Reznikov said the munitions would help save the lives of Ukrainian soldiers, adding Ukraine would keep a strict record of their use and exchange information with its partners.
"Our position is simple — we need to liberate our temporarily occupied territories and save the lives of our people," Reznikov wrote on Twitter.
"Ukraine will use these munitions only for the de-occupation of our internationally recognised territories. These munitions will not be used on the officially recognised territory of Russia."
Cluster munitions are prohibited by more than 100 countries.
They typically release large numbers of smaller bomblets that can kill indiscriminately over a wide area.
Those that fail to explode pose a danger for decades.
Moscow again criticised the US decision on Saturday, describing it as another "egregious" example of Washington's "anti-Russian" course.
"Another 'wonder weapon', which Washington and Kyiv are counting on without considering its grave consequences, will in no way affect the course of the special military operation, the goals and objectives of which will be fully achieved," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement.
Jake Sullivan, US President Joe Biden's national security adviser, sought on Friday to make the case for providing the arms to Ukraine to reclaim territory seized since Russia invaded in February 2022.
"We recognise that cluster munitions create a risk of civilian harm from unexploded ordnance," Mr Sullivan told reporters.
"But there is also a massive risk of civilian harm if Russian troops and tanks roll over Ukrainian positions and take more Ukrainian territory and subjugate more Ukrainian civilians because Ukraine does not have enough artillery," he said.
Mr Reznikov said the military would not use cluster munitions in urban areas and would use them only "to break through the enemy defence lines".
Russia, Ukraine, and the United States have not signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which bans the production, stockpiling, use, and transfer of the weapons.
Spain, a signatory to the convention, said it opposed the decision.
"Spain, based on the firm commitment it has with Ukraine, also has a firm commitment that certain weapons and bombs cannot be delivered under any circumstances," Spanish Defence Minister Margarita Robles told reporters at a Madrid rally on Saturday.
Britain is also a signatory to the convention which prohibits the production or use of cluster munitions and discourages their use, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said.
"We will continue to do our part to support Ukraine against Russia's illegal and unprovoked invasion," he told reporters on Saturday.
Story by Reuters/AP/ABC
Original story link https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-07-09/zelenskyy-marks-500th-day-of-war-from-famous-snake-island/102579618
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