The flag of Ukraine was delivered to Zmeiny Island, but was not raised, said Natalia Gumenyuk, head of the joint coordination press center of the defense forces of southern Ukraine, in a comment to CNN.

“The banner was delivered to the island by helicopter. It will wait for the troops to arrive, then it will flutter,” Gumenyuk said..

[see_also ids\u003d"

She also explained that her flag-raising message "

“No one landed on the island. Who should install it, raise it? No one will risk people for the sake of photos for the media, ”she emphasized..

[see_also ids\u003d"

Earlier on Monday, Gumenyuk said that the Ukrainian flag was raised over Zmeiny Island after Russia was forced to withdraw from a strategically important territory..

According to American experts from the Institute for the Study of War, the dismissal of Zmeiny will not lift the naval blockade, but will reduce the military pressure of the Russian Federation on the coast..