By Enyichukwu Enemanna
As Kyiv commemorates 500 days of war, following invasion by Russia since February last year, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has applauded the country’s soldiers, saying they are the country’s symbol of resilience in the face of the “provocative” invasion Moscow calls “special military operations”.
In a video from a Black Sea island, Zelenskyy honoured the Ukrainian soldiers who fought for the island and all other defenders of the country, stating that 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, though Zelenskyy came back from Turkey on Saturday.
He announced that five commanders of the defense of the Azovstal steel plant, were returning on the plane with him.
Azovstal’s more than 2,000 defenders left the steelworks in mid-May 2022 and were taken into Russian captivity.
The five leaders, some of whom were part of the Azov national guard regiment that Russia denounces as neo-Nazi, were freed in a September prisoner swap and taken to Turkey.
Under the exchange, the leaders were to remain in Turkey until the end of the war under the Turkish president’s protection. There was no immediate official explanation from Ankara or Kyiv about why they were allowed to return to Ukraine.
Russia has however frowned at their return to Ukraine. “The return of the leaders of the Azovites from Turkey to Ukraine is nothing more than a direct violation of the terms of the existing agreements. Moreover, in this case, the terms were violated by both the Ukrainian side and the Turkish side,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
Russian forces took control of Snake Island on Feb. 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, when Ukrainian troops there reportedly received a demand from a Russian warship to surrender or be bombed. The answer supposedly came back, “Go (expletive) yourself.”
The island’s Ukrainian defenders were captured but later freed as part of a prisoner exchange.
After the island was taken, the Ukrainian military heavily bombarded the small Russian garrison there, forcing the Russians to pull back on June 30, 2022.
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. “We will definitely win!”
