Premium Only Content
Snake Island The tiny speck of land playing an outsized role in Russia's war on Ukraine
Snake Island: The tiny speck of land playing an outsized role in Russia's war on Ukraine
By Tim Lister, CNN
Updated 1219 GMT (2019 HKT) May 13, 2022
Ukrainian Navy says soldiers who cursed out Russian warship are still alive 02:59
(CNN)It is just 46 acres of rock and grass with no fresh water (and no snakes either), but Snake Island in the Black Sea has taken on a totemic significance in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
The isle -- known as Zmiinyi Ostriv in Ukrainian -- lies around 30 miles (48 kilometers) off the coast of Ukraine and close to the sea lanes leading to the Bosphorus and Mediterranean.
Moscow has never laid claim to Snake Island, and it's a long way from any part of the Russian mainland. It's over 180 miles from Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014. In no geographical or historical sense could Russia claim it as their own.
But history be damned because it has strategic value and the Russians clearly thought it would be easy pickings. Even before the conflict, Ukraine knew that it was vulnerable. Last year, President Volodymyr Zelensky flew to Snake Island, where are there are no voters but some sheep, to emphasize that it mattered. "This island, like the rest of our territory, is Ukrainian land, and we will defend it with all our might," he said.
https://edition.cnn.com/2022/05/13/europe/snake-island-ukraine-strategic-war-cmd-intl/index.html
-
LIVE
Vigilant News Network
13 hours agoUnitedHealthcare Murder Story Takes a Chilling Turn | The Daily Dose
2,823 watching -
LIVE
Jeff Ahern
49 minutes agoFriday Freak out with Jeff Ahern ( The plot thickens)
270 watching -
1:20:02
Game On!
13 hours ago $2.19 earnedBill Belichick eyes a 2025 RETURN! Interviews with UNC, NOT the NFL!
15.6K4 -
16:42
Melonie Mac
21 hours agoGTA May be Going Woke
28.3K29 -
36:43
PMG
17 hours ago $3.85 earned"FEMA Has Money For Illegals BUT Nothing For Americans"
19.3K5 -
16:05
Alabama Arsenal
13 hours ago $3.05 earnedHK MR556 A4 Deep Dive
22.6K2 -
34:53
Degenerate Plays
22 hours ago $16.38 earnedNew Sitting Position Unlocked - Assassin's Creed : Part 28
59.6K10 -
9:37
Kicking Mustang
20 hours ago $8.93 earnedDon't Pi$$ On Me 🐍 (INSTANT REGRET)
38.3K5 -
5:13
BIG NEM
1 day agoMrBeast's Viral Formula: How to Blow Up
67.7K5 -
1:23:07
Weberz Way
14 hours agoCEO KILLED IN NYC, D.O.G.E, NEWS & MY LAST SHOW OF THE YEAR!
30.2K6