Ukraine retakes Snake Island from Russia forces: 5 things to know
Al JazeeraRussian forces have withdrawn from Snake Island in the Black Sea in a move Ukraine hailed as a victory and Russia said showed Moscow was not seeking to hinder the United Nations’ efforts to organise a corridor for the export of Ukrainian food products. Snake Island is a rocky outcrop that overlooks sea lanes to Odesa, Ukraine’s main Black Sea port, where Russia is blocking food exports from one of the world’s leading grain suppliers. Russia’s slipping hold Last month, the United Kingdom’s defence ministry said that if Russia were able to consolidate its grip on Snake Island with air defence and coastal defence cruise missiles, it could dominate the northwestern Black Sea. New weapons sent by the West made the Russian garrison on Snake Island even more vulnerable, especially the high mobility artillery rocket system supplied by the US that Ukraine began fielding last week.