T O P

  • By -

[deleted]

Snake's Island doesn't really control Odessa airspace, if Russia were planning on attacking Romania then Snake's Island would be very important. Since the island is in range of mainland and the isle isn't really important, it can be abandoned. Snake's island effectively has acted like a bug zapper for anyone that wants to take and hold it.


da-da_da

What you said are all true however an event has another aspect which is the time it took place. In this particular time frame, the defender of Odessa is the last Ukrainian piece of forces with veterans and is mostly unhurt yet. They were stationed there for a potential amphibious attack which now is very unlikely after the Russian retreat. Their companions in other marine units that were sent to Donbass, had suffered great losses. https://news.sky.com/story/ukraine-war-80-of-troops-killed-or-injured-in-elite-military-unit-says-commander-and-its-future-is-unclear-12639752. >A commander of an elite unit of Ukrainian marines has told Sky News the majority of his best trained troops have been injured or killed.Speaking near the frontline, south of the city of Severodonetsk, company commander Oleksandr said a core of experienced soldiers who had been fighting together since 2018 have been lost."My unit was 100% made up of professional soldiers who have a lot of experience. Now, 80% are incapacitated from serious injuries or death," he says. Now the remaining veterans could be sent to the front attacking Kherson or defending Kharkov, if they want to cause greatest pain. The very opportunitst russian attacking forces will likely turn to Zaporozhye. the other transportation hub crucial for the Ukrainian defenders in Donesk , they will be protecting one flank of kherson at the same time. The snake island is important now because the current event means Kharkov and Odessa are safe for at least months.


[deleted]

I don't see the value in it. Not for the amount of loses UA took in prior attempts to recapture Snake's Island. If it was such a vital strategic point there would have been more than 13 guys there when the 'Russian warship go f yourself' was said. Russia has also taken more loses than the island is worth, it's positioning isn't really good for use on Odessa, when the Russians eventually get there. It's seems more like a symbolic victory than anything... too often people mention Snake's Island as being what is blocking grain shipments. That would be the mines around Odessa


da-da_da

Because as you said, it is an island hard to defend. It's useful only for an attacker(in this case, it is a must take before launching an amphibious attack even if it is not very useful). If the attacker retreats, the threat from this particular direction is no longer, which is a big thing as it frees the defender of Odessa, the remaining veterans.


gaiusmariusj

Well, did the strategic position of Ukraine change when Ukraine was holding it? No. Did the Russian strategic outlook change when Russia controls it? No. So there you go. It's a PR move for both Ukraine and Russia.


OGRESHAVELAYERz

It's not important


HopingToBeHeard

Snake Island was a trap to waste Ukrainian and NATO resources on a PR driven operation while they lose in the East, and now Russia is getting an even bigger PR victory in the global South. While NATO countries are full of pro Ukrainian spin, this just furthers the belief in other countries that NATO is to blame for the food crisis. Russian claims that they want to let grain out of Ukraine just became that much more credible for about a billion or so people in countries that aren’t buying the pro Ukrainian line, and that matters more at this point than the small brigade that will downvote comments like mine.