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https://theconversation.com/ukraine-war-reclaiming-snake-island-is-kyivs-biggest-strategic-victory-so-far-heres-why-186317>
"On February 24, the first day of the invasion of Ukraine, Russian troops
occupied Snake Island, a small but strategically important outpost in the Black
Sea about 70 nautical miles south of Odessa. The 13 Ukrainian troops stationed
there were reported to have “twice bravely repulsed the attacks of the Russian
occupiers” but were unable to continue fighting because they ran out of
ammunition.
Pictures of Ukrainian defenders defiantly giving a Russian warship the finger
and audio of them telling it to “go fuck yourself” went viral. The defenders
were believed to have all been killed and were posthumously honoured by the
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky – but have subsequently been reported to
have survived.
So when it was reported on June 30 that Ukraine had retaken Snake Island, it
was an enormous and much-needed morale boost. And, as the war on land drags on,
this success at sea has strategic implications far beyond the Black Sea that
will resonate in the months, or even years, to come.
By taking Snake Island so early in the invasion, Russia secured a crucial piece
of the puzzle that enabled Moscow to exercise control over the northwestern
Black Sea. For Moscow, this was of operational and strategic importance for
three reasons. It meant that the Russian Navy could contribute to the
bombardment of Ukraine with cruise missiles. Meanwhile it gave the invaders the
ability to threaten Odessa with an amphibious assault and enabled them to deny
access to and from Ukrainian ports – in other words, to blockade Ukraine."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
