Why Russia Was Forced To Abandon Ukraine's Snake Island

The island was one of the first pieces of Ukrainian territory captured when Russian began its invasion. It was the site of the famous "Russian ship, go f*** yourself" incident which became a Ukraine rallying cry - and even a postage stamp. 

Ukraine's acquisition of more powerful and accurate NATO weapons made Russian occupation of the island untenable. So they have withdrawn. JL 

Yaroslav Lukov and Paul Kirby report in the BBC:

After more than four months of repeated Ukrainian bombardment, Russian forces have abandoned Snake or Zmiinyi Island. (It) is located just 35km (22 miles) off Ukraine's coast - well within the range of missile, artillery and drone strikes from the shore.The island is exposed to attacks from all directions from air and sea, and the small garrison tasked with defending it - first Ukrainians and later Russians - has been described as "sitting ducks." Ukraine's armed forces have (made) a series of devastating attacks on the island and any vessel bringing troop deployments and heavy weaponry.

This tiny, rocky outcrop in the north-west of the Black Sea was seized by Russia on the first day of its invasion of Ukraine, and it has played an outsized role in the war ever since.

After more than four months of repeated Ukrainian bombardment, Russian forces have abandoned Snake or Zmiinyi Island, as it is known in Ukraine.

Russia says it has withdrawn its garrison as a "gesture of goodwill" to prove it was not obstructing grain exports, but Ukraine dismissed that claim, as Moscow continued to shell its grain stores.

Difficult to defend

The island is exposed to attacks from all directions from air and sea, and the small garrison tasked with defending it - first Ukrainians and later Russians - has been described as "sitting ducks" by military experts.

Seized by the Russians on 24 February, Snake Island is located just 35km (22 miles) off Ukraine's coast - well within the range of missile, artillery and drone strikes from the shore.

And Ukraine's armed forces have done exactly that, claiming a series of devastating attacks on the island itself and any vessel bringing troop deployments and heavy weaponry.

In April, Russia's anti-aircraft capabilities in the north-western Black Sea were significantly weakened with the sinking of the Moskva, the flagship of its Black Sea Fleet.

That explains why the Kremlin was so desperate to bring in anti-aircraft systems and radio-electronic warfare to Snake Island. But it became a logistical nightmare for Russia to defend because it was so far from its main naval bases in the Black Sea.

For all its attacks, Ukraine has very limited naval capacity, so has been unable to land its own force on the island.

Ukrainian military analyst Oleh Zhdanov argues that stationing troops on Snake Island makes no sense for either side as they would become an easy target. Instead, Mr Zhdanov advocates creating "fire control" - maintaining the capability to strike any target approaching the island.

That would also give greater security to Ukraine's biggest Black Sea port of Odesa, and the whole north-western sector of the Black Sea.

An important rock

Russia already controls a large stretch of Ukraine's Black Sea coast, plus the Crimean Peninsula and the entire Sea of Azov. Holding Snake Island completed an effective blockade of Odesa, and meant exports of the vast majority of Ukrainian grain were impossible.

It also meant the Black Sea coast became vulnerable to attack too, and military experts in Kyiv voiced fears that Russia could install long-range air defences, such as an S-400 air missile system.

A look at the map also shows that Russian control of the island represented a threat to Nato member Romania - both its key port of Constanta and traffic in the mouth of the River Danube.

It is not just strategically significant - this area is also rich in reserves of petroleum and gas.