Snake Island smoulders after Ukraine shelling batters Russian troops
(Picture: Operational Command South/Twitter)Russian troops have withdrawn from Ukraine’s Snake Island claiming it was a “goodwill gesture” despite being subjected to a barrage of heavy shelling from Ukrainian forces.
In a humiliation for Vladimir Putin, his soldiers were forced to flee the strategic stronghold in the Black Sea on boats, according to reports on Thursday.
“Kaboom! No Russian troops on the Snake Island anymore. Our Armed Forces did a great job,” Andriy Yermak, head of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office, wrote on Twitter on Thursday.
Ukraine’s southern military command wrote on Facebook that, following a successful operation involving missile and artillery units, Russian forces had evacuated from Snake Island in two boats.
Russia’s defence ministry confirmed Russian troops had withdrawn from Snake Island, calling it a “goodwill gesture” and saying the troops had fulfilled the tasks assigned to them.
Snake Island became a symbol of defiant Ukrainian resistance in the face of overwhelming Russian power at the start of the invasion on February 24.
Around a dozen Ukrainian soldiers were feared to have been obliterated by Russian attacks after reportedly refusing to surrender and telling one of Mr Putin’s warships to “go to hell”.
For their bravery, they were awarded posthumous honours by Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky.
It later it emerged that they had been captured by Russian forces.
