Ukrainian border guards could still be alive after Russian attack on Snake Island, authorities say, amid conflicting accounts

Ukranian authorities have cast doubt on claims that a group of border guards were killed while defending a tiny island in the Black Sea from Russian troops. Key points: A Ukrainian official said all 13 guards stationed on the island had been killed, and plans were announced to honour them posthumously But in a statement released on Sunday, Ukraine's State Border Guard said there were "strong beliefs that all Ukrainian defenders of Zmiiniy Island may be alive" Russia said soldiers on the island had surrendered voluntarily, a claim rejected by authorities in Ukraine Ukraine lost contact with its forces on Zmiinyi Island, a speck of land south of the port of Odesa, on Thursday after Russia conducted strikes from air and sea, Kyiv said. Authorities had announced plans to posthumously honour the guards, but in a statement released on Sunday, Ukraine's State Border Guard said there were "strong beliefs that all Ukrainian defenders of Zmiiniy Island may be alive". "Russian media reported that Ukrainian servicemen on the island, who were temporarily occupied by Russia in Sevastopol, had been sent to Sevastopol," a translation of the statement said. Ukraine's State Border Guard offered a different account, accusing Russia of using "naval weapons" and "combat aircraft on border guards and soldiers".