PREVIEW

Two years on from the daring recapture of Snake Island, off Ukraine’s Black Sea coast, from Russian forces, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has released new footage of troops liberating the strategically important outcrop.
When sharing the video, the SBU emphasised the operation's strategic significance.
"It consisted of several stages and was of strategic importance because since then the gradual displacement of the enemy from the Black Sea began," they said.
The footage starts with an aerial view of an airstrike on Snake Island, followed by scenes of Ukrainian troops landing by helicopter and engaging Russian forces.
Since the liberation on 30 June, 2022, Ukraine has achieved significant success in reducing the presence and power of Russia's Black Sea Fleet, incapacitating around a third of its vessels.
Snake Island, situated 35 kilometres from the Odesa Oblast mainland, was initially seized by Russian troops at the onset of their full-scale invasion due to its strategic importance.
On 24 February, 2022, two Russian warships attacked the island, demanding the surrender of the Ukrainian border guards stationed there.
One guard's defiant response, "Russian warship, go f**k yourself," quickly became a symbol of Ukrainian resistance.
The occupation of Snake Island allowed Russian forces to block Odesa's Black Sea ports and launch missile attacks against Ukraine until April 14, 2022, when Ukraine successfully sank the Moskva, the flagship of Russia's Black Sea Fleet.
Russian troops withdrew from Snake Island in June 2022, a retreat that led to the establishment of the U.N. and Turkey-brokered Black Sea Grain Initiative, resuming grain and agricultural exports from Ukraine.
Russia's Defense Ministry described the withdrawal as "a gesture of goodwill," claiming their troops had completed their mission and were demonstrating Russia's willingness to facilitate grain exports from Ukraine.
Andriy Yermak, head of President Volodymyr Zelensky's office, dismissed the Russian statement as "complete fake," asserting that Russian forces were driven out by a "remarkable" operation conducted by Ukraine's Armed Forces.