Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Gen Valeriy Zaluzhnyy has confirmed that the russian occupiers have left the Snake (Zmiyiny) Island.
He said that the enemy could no longer bear Ukraine's artillery, rocket and aviation strikes on its positions on the island.
"Thank you to the defenders of Odesa Region, who have not spared any effort to liberate a strategically important part of our territory. Bowing my head to the designers and manufacturers of the Ukrainian self-propelled howitzer Bohdana, which played an important role in the liberation of the island. Thanks to foreign partners for providing the means of destruction," he said.
Snake Island was seized by russians on 24 February. They tried to induce the Ukrainian defenders who were on the island to cooperate and promised them high salaries. In response, the russian warship was advised "to go fuck itself".
After capturing the island, the enemy deployed their equipment there, including rocket launchers. The Ukrainians were taken prisoner.
In June, the Ukrainian defence forces launched a special operation to liberate the island. On 21 June, it was attacked using a variety of means. The island "garrison" suffered casualties. The russians lost an anti-aircraft missile system and a radar station.
The operation to destroy the invaders and their equipment continued. On 30 June, the Operational Command South reported that Ukrainian defenders had launched missile and artillery strikes on Snake Island overnight as part of a military operation. The russians hastily evacuated by two speedboats and appear to have left the island.