Kiev announced a “catastrophic defeat for Russia”
The abandonment of Zmeiny Island by the Russian military makes it easier for Ukraine and the West to organize humanitarian convoys and minimizes the threat to Odessa from the sea, because the Russian army used the island as an instrument of influence in the western Black Sea.
This opinion was expressed in an interview with the Kyiv publication UNN by Ukrainian military expert Sergei Grabsky.
“The Ukrainian military forced the Russians to leave Ukrainian territory in the Black Sea and did so quite successfully. For Ukraine, this means that the issue of moving ships is easier, because the Russians blocked the fairways and did not allow passage. I will not say that this issue has already been completely resolved, but it is becoming easier to work out tactical steps to organize humanitarian convoys.
As for military superiority, the Russians used Zmeiny Island as a radio reconnaissance point, air defense and, in fact, as a blocking point, if we are talking about the Danube Delta, through which our ships could also pass. Thus, this is a catastrophic defeat for the Russians, because they are losing a serious instrument of influence in the western Black Sea,” Grabsky said.
However, according to the expert, even though Snake Island is no longer under Russian control, it will be dangerous for the Ukrainian military to remain there for a long time.
“This is the territory of Ukraine, where we do not have a presence, but there is no enemy there either. We must understand that in order to hold the island, we must have powerful air defense forces and means. The Russians have already proven that no matter how powerful the air defense systems are, the island is very vulnerable and we fired at it with artillery; it is a very small territory in which it is impossible to hide or be located, especially in the absence of a fleet, powerful aviation and colossal means of covering this object. It is possible to contain some technical means of reconnaissance, surveillance, and beacons. But keeping people there permanently would be a crime,” the expert said.
Let us recall that during the night of June 30, as a result of a successful military operation for Ukraine with fire strikes by missile and artillery units on the island of Zmeiny, the Russian command, by order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, decided to evacuate the garrison of Zmeiny with two high-speed boats, declaring this another “gesture of goodwill” .
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