In Izmail, an emotional reunion took place as border guard Vitaliy Gyrenko, the last of the defenders of Snake Island, returned from Russian captivity, where he spent over three and a half years. This was reported by the press service of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine.

Today, Vitaliy fulfilled his greatest dream – he held his son Dmytryk for the first time. When he was captured, his wife Alona was seven months pregnant, making this meeting with his child a particularly significant event. Throughout these years, his loved ones – his wife, little son, and mother Vera, who relocated to Izmail after losing their home in Kharkiv region – awaited him. Friends, comrades, and residents of Izmail warmly greeted Vitaliy with hugs, tears of joy, and sincere words of gratitude.