Ukraine has revealed that the civilian sailors from Snake Island - who famously told a Russian warship to "go f*** yourself" - are returning home. The border guards first hit headlines back on February 24 when an audio file surfaced online revealed an exchange between the Ukrainians on Snake Island and an approaching Russian warship. Per <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2022/02/25/europe/ukraine-russia-snake-island-attack-intl-hnk-ml/index.html">CNN</a>, Russian forced instructed on those on the island to "lay down their weapons" and "surrender to avoid bloodshed and unnecessary victims." In response, one Ukrainian border guard on the island said: "Russian warship, go f*** yourself." You can listen to the audio exchange below: [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/CNN/status/1497068905382170635]] And despite Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky initially reporting that those on the island had "died heroically", <a href="https://vt.co/news/world/ukraine-honors-13-soldiers-who-died-defending-tiny-island-and-allegedly-told-russian-warship-go-f-yourself">it was later revealed</a> by the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine that they had all survived - but had been taken hostage by Russia. Zmiinyi Island - known as Snake Island - is located in the Black Sea approximately 30 miles (48 kilometers) off Ukraine's southern coast. Its total land area measures less than one-tenth of a square mile, per <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ukrainian-border-guards-on-zmiinyi-island-died-as-heroes-zelensky-says-2022-2?r=US&IR=T">Insider</a>. Now, as reported by the <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10651319/Ukrainian-Snake-Island-sailors-shouted-f-k-invading-Russian-forces-FREED.html">Daily Mail</a>, the Ukrainian Parliament has taken to social media to announce that 19 Ukrainian sailors - including the Snake Island border guards - had been exchanged for 11 Russian sailors, in what officials called "the first exchange of war hostages". Sharing an image of its sailors, the tweet added that the exchange was made under the order of President Zelensky. [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/ua_parliament/status/1507104491597881349]] The tweet read in full: The first exchange of war hostages occurred on President @ZelenskyyUa's order. Additionally, today, #Ukraine exchanged 11 Russian sailors we rescued from a sunken ship near #Odesa to 19 Ukrainian sailors (authors of the legendary phrase 'Russian warship go f*** yourself')". A follow-up tweet stated: "Our sailors will return home from the rescue ship 'Sapphire,' which was captured by the Russian occupiers while trying to withdraw Ukrainian troops from the #Zmiiny island. "Under the exchange terms, the lifeboat will also be returned to #Ukraine and sent to a Turkish port." Ukraine's deputy prime minister, Iryna Vereshchuk, has also further explained that the 11 Russian civilian sailors had been rescued from a sunken ship near the port city of Odesa, on the Black Sea. <h6>Featured image credit: imageBROKER / Alamy</h6>

Ukrainian Snake Island hostages returning home in 'first exchange of war hostages'

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