Inside the daring mission to liberate Snake Island from Russian control
The initial attempt by Ukrainian forces to liberate Snake Island from Russian occupation faced formidable obstacles, as the enemy had transformed the strategic Black Sea outpost into a fortress, one of the special operations soldiers who took part in the liberation has told NV.
The revelations were made in a recent NV article titled “The Secret Forces of Budanov: Shamanbat,” featuring insights from an officer known as “Said,” who leads the assault group of the Military Intelligence Directorate or HUR unit “Shamanbat.”
Read also: Ukraine adds border marker on famous Snake Island, says Crimea is next – video
On May 7, 2022, Said’s team, alongside other units such as the Territorial Defense Forces and SBU Alpha, executed a daring operation to liberate the island from Russian control.
The battle was quite chaotic, and, according to Said, the lack of coordination among the various units played a part in Ukraine’s disadvantage.
“When three different units don’t coordinate with each other, there will always be some imbalance. If one unit is working, there’s a better chance of success.”
Read also: Ukrainian Armed Forces explain why Russia keeps attacking Snake Island
“We lost several very good fighters in that situation and had to retreat. Plus, the island is fortified – there are Romanian bunkers made of concrete, making it very difficult to capture,” the Shamanbat assault group commander said.
The second assault on the island was scheduled for May 9, 2022. However, Ukrainian intelligence received information that the occupiers had significantly bolstered their forces on Snake Island. They had deployed the Pantsir anti-aircraft missile and cannon system, a Tor anti-aircraft missile system, and a substantial amount of other equipment.
A Russian landing ship had also landed an additional 250 soldiers on the island, while five to 10 enemy aircraft regularly patrolled the skies over Snake Island.
Therefore, the assault was postponed.
“We flew to one of our bases and started preparing for a new assault. In other words, we did it on our own, without other units. We created a training replica of the island and its fortifications and spent a long time getting ready for the landing,” Said recalled.
Meanwhile, intelligence discovered that the Russians were hastily dispatching reinforcements to the island from the so-called “Boyko’s Towers,” which are oil and gas platforms situated on the shelf between Snake Island and the western edge of Crimea.
In response, the operation’s leadership made the decision to initiate artillery fire on the platforms. They employed Bohdan domestic mobile howitzers and the French CAESAR for this purpose, while also concurrently shelling Snake Island.
Read also: Ukraine holding no-man’s land Snake Island and ‘Boyko Towers’ under fire control — Navy
“The Russians couldn’t replenish their forces so quickly and decided that they couldn’t hold the island. They began to burn their equipment, deciding to abandon it,” Said concluded.
Ukrainian units landed on the deserted Snake Island in July 2022.
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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
