Snake Island is back in the hands of the Ukraine. The battle for control of the strategic islet that was occupied by the Russians at the beginning of the invasion after the Moskva, the then flag-bearing Russian warship in the Black Sea, asked for the surrender of the Ukrainian troops deployed there and was rejected with a "Russian ship, fuck you!", now the motto of the Ukrainian resistance. The withdrawal of Russian troops has been confirmed by both sides, although although Kyiv scores a victory, Moscow assures that it is a deliberate move in order to facilitate the corridor for the export of grain from Ukraine.
"KABOOM! There are no Russian troops on Snake Island anymore. Our Armed Forces did a great job," wrote Andriy Yermak, head of the office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, on Twitter.
The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed the information, but described the withdrawal as a "goodwill gesture" after having "achieved its objectives". "Russia is not opposed to UN efforts to create a humanitarian corridor for the export of agricultural products from Ukraine," ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said. "This decision will no longer allow Kyiv to speculate about an impending food crisis by saying that it is impossible to export grain due to Russia's total control over the northwestern Black Sea," he added.
Snake Island is nothing more than a flat islet of 0.17 square kilometers (just slightly larger than Perejil, off the Moroccan coast) that for many years was only inhabited by a boring military garrison. However, it is located 120 kilometers south of the port of Odessa and opposite the mouth of the Danube, which makes it highly strategic.
After some attempts to reconquer the island by Kyiv with drones, anti-ship missiles and fighter planes, which led to the sinking of the Moskva, a few days of calm came. But apparently on June 20 a new offensive began. As The Economist reported earlier in the week, in the days since, Ukraine has stepped up attacks on the rock with new long-range artillery. The Russians, who responded by aiming dozens of long-range missiles at Odessa, the nearest Ukrainian city, then said they had repelled "an insane" attempt by Kyiv forces to retake the island.
Ukraine and the West have accused Russia of blockading Ukrainian ports to prevent grain exports, contributing to the global food crisis. Russia has denied the accusations, saying Ukraine needs to remove sea mines from the Black Sea to allow safe shipping.
