Snake Island campaign

This article is about the 2022 campaign. For the 1788 naval battle, see Battle of Fidonisi.

Snake Island campaign
Part of the Russian invasion of Ukraine

The island on 7 July 2022 after being recaptured by the Ukrainian Armed Forces
Date24 February – 30 June 2022
(4 months and 6 days)
Location
Snake Island, Odesa Oblast
45°15′18″N 30°12′15″E / 45.25500°N 30.20417°E / 45.25500; 30.20417
Result Ukrainian victory[1][2]
Belligerents
 Russia  Ukraine
Strength

1 missile cruiser

1 patrol ship

Per Ukrainian sources:
80 servicemen[4]
Per Russian sources:
82 soldiers (24 February)
16 boats (25 February)
Casualties and losses
Russian seizure
None
Ukrainian recapture
Per Ukrainian sources:
4 "Raptor" boats
"Serna" class landing ship
"Vasily Bekh" tugboat
3 air defense systems
1 Mi-8 helicopter
3 Pantsir missile systems		 Russian seizure
Per Ukrainian sources:
80 captured[4]
1 search and rescue boat seized
Per Russian sources:
82 soldiers captured
6 boats sunk
Ukrainian recapture
Per Ukrainian sources:
10 killed
DSHK-1 Stanislav[4]
2 Su-24MR[5][6][7]
1 Bayraktar TB2 drone
Snake Island campaign is located in Black Sea
Snake Island campaign
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Location of Snake Island in the Black Sea

The Snake Island campaign was a period of Russian occupation and military conflict for Snake Island, a small, strategically located Ukrainian island in the Black Sea. On 24 February 2022, the first day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Russian Navy attacked Snake Island and captured it along with its entire garrison, beginning a military occupation of the island. The attack was widely publicized when an audio clip of the Russian cruiser Moskva hailing the island's garrison over the radio demanding their surrender and being told "Russian warship, go fuck yourself" (Russian: 'Русский военный корабль, иди на хуй', romanized: Russky voyenny korabl, idi na khuy) in response went viral, along with initial inaccurate reports of the garrison's deaths.[8][9] Later on, it emerged that a civilian search and rescue ship trying to evacuate the soldiers was also captured along with the garrison. The ship, its crew, and at least one soldier were subsequently freed in prisoner exchanges.

Following the island's capture, Ukraine launched a campaign against Russian forces on and around the island, deploying anti-ship missiles against Russian naval forces as well as air, artillery, and missile strikes against Russian positions on the island itself. Russia subsequently withdrew from the island on 30 June 2022, ending the island's 126-day military occupation. Russian bombing against the island continued thereafter, reportedly causing casualties on the Ukrainian military; this has been denied by Ukraine.

  1. ^ "Snake Island was one of the first battlegrounds of Russia's Ukraine invasion. Now Kyiv has scored a key strategic victory". ABC News. 1 July 2022. Archived from the original on 5 July 2022. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  2. ^ "Ukraine pushes Russian forces from strategic Snake Island". The Guardian. 30 June 2022. Archived from the original on 30 June 2022. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  3. ^ a b Zubkova, Dasha (24 February 2022). "Zmiinyi Island In Black Sea Attacked From Russian Ships – Border Service". Ukrainian News Agency. Archived from the original on 25 February 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  4. ^ a b c "Битва за Зміїний. Героїчна історія: як Україна втратила і повернула надважливий острів. Реконструкція". Pravda UA (in Ukrainian). 7 November 2022.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference skc1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "Старокостянтинівський районний суд Хмельницької області" (in Ukrainian). 15 July 2022.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference skc2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ "ВМС ЗС України" [Ukrainian Navy]. facebook.com. ВМС ЗС України. 28 February 2022. Archived from the original on 28 February 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  9. ^ "Ukrainian Navy confirms Snake Island soldiers are alive, POWs". jpost.com. The Jerusalem Post. 28 February 2022. Archived from the original on 28 February 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2022.