"Some details remain classified": Ukrainian officer on Zmiinyi Island liberation anniversary

Spokesperson for the Ukrainian Volunteer Army, Serhii Bratchuk, said this on Espreso TV.

“As for the liberation of Zmiinyi Island, I remember everything in detail, how it happened. We always maintained information silence until it was safe to speak about the event. We refer to the anniversary of its liberation a bit differently — it marks the final liberation of the Odesa region from Russian occupiers, because Zmiinyi Island is home to the village of Bile in the Izmail district of Odesa region,” noted Serhii Bratchuk.

According to him, regarding the significance of Zmiinyi Island, the Russian far-right zealot Dugin, who is called Putin’s ideologue, stated: “Whoever controls Zmiinyi controls the Black Sea.” This wasn’t Ukraine's concept, but it agreed with it: both the Ukrainian Navy and the Defense Forces of Ukraine, as well as all relevant structures involved in the liberation of our Black Sea, liberated Zmiinyi Island on June 30, 2022.

"At that time, the most advanced tactics were used with the weapons that were available to the Ukrainian Armed Forces at the time to liberate Zmiinyi Island. Not everything is being disclosed today, but certain details are available. Ukrainian self-propelled artillery systems, namely the Bohdana, were used to inflict fire damage. All branches of the Armed Forces were involved. At that time, it was almost the first use of the Bohdana, and I can even say that the platform was on the water. It was spectacular, brilliant — the liberation of our territory was underway. And today we can say that both the sinking of the cruiser Moskva and the liberation of Zmiinyi Island gave momentum to clearing the Black Sea of Russian scum," commented the spokesperson for the Ukrainian Volunteer Army.

Bratchuk emphasized that victory comes at a high cost and said it is important to remember Ukrainian heroes who gave their lives on that island and on the nearby mainland. It is crucial to remember each one of them by name.

• On June 27, 2022, Ukraine carried out 10 precision strikes on Zmiinyi Island and destroyed another anti-aircraft missile and gun system.
• On June 30, the Russian garrison was hastily evacuated. The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed it was done as a “gesture of goodwill.” However, British intelligence concluded that the Russians withdrew from Zmiinyi Island due to the isolation of the military garrison and its vulnerability to Ukrainian strikes. On July 1, Russian forces bombed Zmiinyi with phosphorus bombs dropped from Su-30 aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces.
• On July 7 of that year, Ukrainian forces returned the Ukrainian flag to Zmiinyi Island, which had been under Russian control for several months, and cleared the island, discovering 30 pieces of Russian equipment.