Zelenskyy marks 500 days of Russian invasion by thanking soldiers, other defenders of Ukraine

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday marked the 500th day of war in Ukraine by hailing the country's soldiers, in a video from a Black Sea island that became the symbol of Ukraine's resilience in the face of the Russian invasion.

Speaking from Snake Island, Zelenskyy, wearing a black hoodie and camouflage bullet-proof vest, laid flowers to honour those who defended the island and thanked all of the soldiers who have fought for Ukraine since Russia invaded on Feb. 24, 2022.

Zelenskyy said reclaiming control of the island "is a great proof that Ukraine will regain every bit of its territory."

"I want to thank — from here, from this place of victory — each of our soldiers for these 500 days," Zelenskyy said in the video posted on his Telegram channel.

"Thank you to everyone who fights for Ukraine."

Russian forces took control of the tiny stone island — which overlooks sea lanes to Odesa, Ukraine's main Black Sea port — on the day Moscow launched the invasion.

The island took on legendary significance for Ukraine's resistance to the Russian invasion, when troops reportedly received a demand from a Russian warship to surrender or be bombed. The Ukrainian soldiers defending the island famously defied the order, with one of them radioing back, "Russian warship, go f--k yourself."

The phrase became a national slogan for Ukraine, depicted on billboards, T-shirts and eventually a postage stamp.

Snake Island's Ukrainian defenders were captured by the Russians but later freed as part of a prisoner exchange. After the island was taken, the Ukrainian military heavily bombarded the small Russian garrison there, forcing the Russians to pull back on June 30, 2022.

The Russian retreat reduced the threat of a seaborne Russian attack on Odesa and helped pave the way for a deal to resume Ukrainian grain exports.

"Let the freedom that all our heroes of different times wanted for Ukraine and that must be won right now be a tribute to all those who gave their lives for Ukraine," Zelenskyy said. "We will definitely win."

Intense battles continued to rage on Saturday in the country's east and south as Ukrainian forces pressed their attacks against multi-layered Russian defences in the initial stages of their counteroffensive.

Ukraine's Interior Ministry said a Russian rocket strike on the town of Lyman killed eight civilians and wounded 13 others early Saturday.

Pavlo Kyrylenko, governor of the eastern Donetsk region, posted images showing some of the dead, including a body lying under a bicycle and body fragments on the pavement next to a damaged vehicle.