Russian Defense Ministry says Ukrainian military tried to mark Snake Island as regained territory
The Russian Defense Ministry said Thursday that it prevented the Ukrainian armed forces from planting that country’s flag on Snake Island in the Black Sea.
Spokesman Igor Konashenkov said the Ukrainian military tried to make a symbolic gesture and mark the island with a flag as a regained Ukrainian territory.
“The aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces immediately struck the Snake Island with high-precision missiles. As a result of the strike, part of the Ukrainian servicemen were destroyed. The survivors fled,” said Konashenkov.
On July 2, the ministry announced that Russian servicemen left Snake Island to free the passage for the trade vessels transporting grain and food.
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Konashenkov said Russian armed forces continued destroying Ukraine’s military infrastructure and the opponent has suffered heavy losses.
“In total, since the beginning of the special military operation, 234 aircraft, 137 helicopters, 1,479 unmanned aerial vehicles, 353 air defense systems, 3,935 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 724 multiple rocket launcher combat vehicles, 3,102 field artillery and mortar guns, as well as 4,064 units of special military vehicles have been destroyed,” he said.
It was earlier reported that, the spokesperson for the Ukrainian Military’s Southern Command, 1st Capt. Natalia Humeniuk, said the country’s flag was dropped on Snake Island but has not yet been raised, clarifying earlier remarks regarding the status of the flag.
“The flag was delivered to the island by helicopter. It will wait for the arrival of the troops, then it will wave,” Humeniuk told CNN, when asked about her remarks earlier on Monday.
She also explained that her remarks about the flag being raised should be “understood metaphorically.”“No one landed on the island. So who will install it, stick it in, raise it?,” she said. “And no one will risk people for the sake of a photo for the media.”
Earlier Monday, Humeniuk had said Ukraine’s flag had been raised over Snake Island, after forcing a Russian withdrawal from the strategically important territory.
Some background: Known as Zmiinyi Ostriv in Ukrainian, Snake Island lies around 30 miles (48 kilometers) off the coast of Ukraine and is close to the sea lanes leading to the Bosphorus and Mediterranean.
Russian troops left Snake Island in the Black Sea, the Ukrainian Armed Forces said last week, after they carried out what they said was a “successful” operation.
The small but strategic territory was the scene of one of the opening salvos of the war in Ukraine, with demands from a Russian warship calling for the Ukrainian defenders to surrender, who boldly replied with “Russian warship, go f*** yourself.”
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