Russia, Ukraine war: Warship that attacked Snake Island sunk, Ukraine says

A Russian warship that attacked a tiny Ukrainian island last month has been sunk by, it's being reported.

Foreign media outlets, including the Times of London and Fox News, cite Ukrainian military sources as saying that one of the two Russian ships that attacked Zmiinyi Island (also known as Snake Island) in the Black Sea has been destroyed.

A video posted to Facebook by the Ukrainian Navy purports to show rockets being fired at a ship in the distance. According to a translation by the Times, one of the men says "we f***ing hit them", and then another says "Russian warship, go f*** yourself".

That's a reference to what a Ukrainian soldier defending Snake Island told an enemy warship when the island came under attack by Russia in February. 

Thirteen guards were on the small, but strategically important, island at the time and all were thought to be killed in the subsequent battle. However, it has since emerged that they are alive and have been taken prisoner. They are reportedly being held in Russia-occupied Crimea and were forced to surrender to the Russians after running out of ammunition. 

The footage shared by the navy is taken at night so it is difficult to decipher what is occurring. But large flashes of light are seen streaming across the sky.

According to the Ukrainian Navy, the Russian warship, apparently the Vasily Bykov, was hit off the coast of Odessa. It's a port city near the Ukrainian borders with Moldova and Romania and the closest major city to Snake Island.

The Times reports Janes, a UK military intelligence group, as confirming that the ship was one of those that attacked Snake Island early on in the invasion.