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Shown here is the Ostriv Zmiyinyy Lighthouse on Zmiyinyy Island, a small 46-acre island in the Black Sea, about 20 miles east of the delta of the Danube River in Ukraine. It is more commonly known as Snake Island Lighthouse, and sometimes referred to as Serpilor Lighthouse.
Over 100 Ukrainian border guards were stationed here. When the Russian Navy ordered them to surrender, the Ukrainian reply was, “Russian warship, go f--- yourself”
Reports have varied several times about the fate of the Ukrainian border guards assigned here. The last report stated that eighty-seven of the Ukrainian border guards were killed and thirteen were taken alive, which cannot be confirmed.
The lighthouse was built in 1846 and was heavily damaged in World War II. It was made operational again in 1944, and underwent a full restoration in 1949.
This past February, Ukrainian army officials stated the lighthouse had been completely destroyed along with the entire infrastructure of the island.
This story appeared in the
May/Jun 2022 edition of Lighthouse Digest Magazine. The print edition contains more stories than our internet edition, and each story generally contains more photographs - often many more - in the print edition. For subscription information about the print edition, click here.
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