Ukrainian soldier on Snake Island tells Russian officer 'go (expletive) yourself' before being killed

Ukrainian soldiers on a small island in the Black Sea had scathing last words before being bombed by a Russian warship on Thursday: "Go f--- yourself."

Thirteen border guards were stationed on Snake Island, owned by Ukraine and roughly 30 miles off the coast from the country, when a Russian warship asked them to surrender or be bombed, according to a tweet from the Ukrainian Embassy in Georgia. 

Ukrainian official Anton Gerashchenko posted audio of the incident to Telegram, an instant messaging service, that went viral on social media. 

A Russian officer can be heard telling the Ukraine soldiers to lay down their arms to "avoid bloodshed and unjustified deaths."

A Ukrainian soldier responded with the expletive and all 13 soldiers were killed, Ukrainian officials announced.

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“All border guards died heroically but did not give up,” Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a press briefing. "All of them will be posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine. Eternal memory to those who gave their lives for Ukraine."

Zelenskyy announced Thursday that 137 Ukrainian soldiers and civilians have been killed with hundreds more wounded after Russia troops attacked. Military strikes and explosions were reported in major cities like Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital.

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On Friday, Russia said they would hold talks with Ukrainian officials if they put down their arms first. 

Ukrainian and Russian expert Mattie Nelles called the move a "farce" in a tweet and didn't think Ukraine would agree to the terms. 

Follow reporter Asha Gilbert @Coastalasha. Email: agilbert@usatoday.com. USATODAY reporter Karina Zaiets contributed.