Ivan “Zaliznyak” Pylypchuk — the man who installed the Ukrainian flag over Snake Island. Yes, that very island that offered precise travel destination to the Russian warship https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_Snake_Island_campaign.
His _nom de guerre,_ *Zaliznyak,* translates as “The Ironman,” and it’s tempting to think that it comes from the eponymous comic book character. But no. It’s inspired by Maksym Zaliznyak, an 18th-century Cossack leader of a colossal peasant rebellion: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maksym_Zalizniak
Fragment of an original interview for PershyjTV https://youtu.be/WXWqLcHT7Nk
May 22, 2023
*Notes:*
*Chaika* (Seagull) boat — The legendary naval vessel of the Zaporozhian Cossack — Ukrainian variant of the venerable Viking longboat. In 1616, Cossacks on _chaikas_ famously conducted a daring naval assault and sunk the Turkish fleet at Caffa (Feodosia) — the largest Ottoman slave trade port on the Black Sea. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaika_(boat).
*GUR* — The Main Directorate of Intelligence (Ukraine)
*73rd Naval Special Operations Center* — Ukrainian Navy SEAL-like spec-ops unit specializing in frogmen operations and boat assaults.
*Landing on Snake Island, video* https://youtu.be/UXmv_QuBDFc