President Volodymyr Zelensky has visited Zmiinyi Island in the Black Sea and honored Ukrainian heroes.

He also thanked everyone who has been fighting with the Russian invaders for 500 days.

The head of state shared a video from the island on Saturday, July 8, on his social media.

“500 days of full-scale war. Zmiinyi Island. Free island of free Ukraine,” he said.

Zelensky also thanked the Ukrainian soldiers who fought for this island and liberated it from Russian invaders.

“I am grateful to everyone who fought here against the invaders. Heroes who gave their lives in this battle – one of the most important ones during the full-scale war, were commemorated,” the President added.

He stressed that although Zmiinyi Island is a small piece of land in the middle of the Black Sea, its liberation is a great proof that Ukraine will regain every bit of its territory. He also expressed confidence in Ukraine’s victory in the war with Russia.

Small in area, Zmiinyi Island in the Black Sea geographically belongs to the Odesa region. Since the end of February 2022, it has been occupied by Russians.

At the beginning of July last year, the Defense Forces returned Zmiinyi Island under Ukrainian control.

Before that, on June 30, Russian troops hastily left the island. The Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that the invaders had fled as a result of the successful next stage of the military operation with attacks by Ukrainian missile and artillery units on the island.

Also, the Defense Forces showed how they attacked the island using the domestic Bohdana self-propelled guns and Bayraktar TB2 UAVs.

On the third of July 2022, photos also appeared of the escape of Russian forces from Zmiinyi Island. For the rapid “evacuation” of the garrison, the invaders used Mi-8/17 and Mi-24/35 helicopters.