Snake Island: Ukraine says troops who swore at Russian warship are alive

Ukraine's navy says the 13 soldiers believed to have been killed defending Zmiinyi (Snake) Island on the first day of the Russian invasion are alive.

The border guards were given posthumous honours by the president after they were heard in audio recordings telling a Russian warship to "go to hell".

Russia said at the time that the troops on the island surrendered.

On Monday, the Ukrainian Naval Forces confirmed in a Facebook post that "our brothers-in-arms are alive and well".

The border guards and marines on the island "twice bravely repulsed the attacks of the Russian occupiers" but were unable to continue fighting because they ran out of ammunition, it said.

The Russians "completely destroyed the island's infrastructure", including lighthouses, towers, antennae, and severed communications with the mainland, it added.