Ukrainian Special Forces Retake Control of Snake Island (Photos)
The Ukrainian military said special forces landed and raised flags on Snake Island in the Black Sea early on Wednesday, July 7, a week after Kyiv said Russian forces had left the island after a sustained Ukrainian aerial operation.
Photos released by Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces on Wednesday evening depicted at least 21 soldiers on the strategic island. Their faces were blurred before the photos were released.
Two flags were raised on the island: the blue and yellow flag of Ukraine and the flag of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which includes a red cross against a white background. The photos show the flags close to military vehicles that are burned-out or abandoned. One vehicle is marked with the letter Z, a symbol that was painted on Russian vehicles involved in the invasion.
Footage released earlier that day showed soldiers raising the Ukrainian flag amid piles of debris.
Snake Island became known internationally on the second day of Russia’s invasion, when a Ukrainian soldier stationed there was recorded telling the Russian warship Moskva to “go f*** yourself” after its crew hailed troops on the island and told them to surrender. The explicit phrase became a rallying cry for Ukrainians early in the war.
Serhii Bratchuk, the spokesman for the Odesa military administration, said a message was written to the Russians on the Ukrainian flag, reminding them that “Snake Island is [part of] Ukraine,” and referencing the Moskva, which sank in April after being struck by Ukrainian missiles near Odesa.
There were unconfirmed reports of Russian strikes targeting Snake Island on July 7.
Credit: Special Operations Forces (Ukraine) via Storyful
To download this video for news use you must go to: [ Ссылка ] To obtain a Storyful subscription, contact sales@storyful.com.
This video has been uploaded for use by Storyful's subscription clients with the permission of the content owner.
Clients can see and search Storyful Licensed Videos here: [ Ссылка ]
