Ukraine reclaimed the tactically-advantageous island.

This morning, the Ukrainian military announced that it had successfully driven the Russian military forces from Snake Island, a small, yet significant island territory in the Black Sea. Snake Island is a vital part of Ukraine’s global trade, as the vast majority of Ukrainian trade runs through its ports. The island first rose to attention when Russian forces attacked it back in February.

Breaking News: Ukraine drove Russian troops from Snake Island in the Black Sea, a setback for Moscow that could undermine its control over shipping lanes. https://t.co/RJ7xFE5l8m

— The New York Times (@nytimes) June 30, 2022

According to a Telegram post from the Ukrainian Armed Forces, “the enemy hastily evacuated the remnants of the garrison in two speedboats and probably left the island.”

Russian army spokesperson Igor Konashenkov painted the retreat as a deliberate “gesture of good will,” saying that “the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation finished fulfilling the assigned tasks in Snake Island and withdrew the garrison that had been operating there.”

Ukraine has pushed Russian forces to abandon the Snake Island, a small but strategic outpost in the Black Sea.

Russia's Defense Ministry confirmed its forces had left the island. https://t.co/OzRiklffYC

— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) June 30, 2022

Andriy Yermak, head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, fired back, calling Konashenkov’s account false. “In Russia, they say about the alleged withdrawal of troops from Snake Island and present it as a ‘gesture of goodwill.’ Like, Russia does not interfere with humanitarian corridors for the export of Ukrainian grain. But all this is a complete fake,” Yermak said on Telegram.

“First, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have knocked the Russians out of Snake Island,” Yermak added. “Secondly, the Russians are shelling warehouses with our grain. In the morning, a warehouse in the Dnipropetrovsk region was fired upon.”