Russian SAM Positions on Snake Island - 28th May

Looking at Russian SAM Sites on Snake Island.Show more

A little video update about naval movement around Snake Island. First of all though, we will look at this satellite image from 24th May, showing a total of 10 vehicles on the island. These vehicles are identified, but they are more likely SAM systems and vehicles to support SAM systems such as loaders and ammo trucks.

The latest satellite footage comes from the 28th. Once again, we can the flaoting crane – Project 02690 floating crane, number SPK 54150. This has been an ever present sight around Snake Island for a while. Used to resupply the island from the Sev-er-led Bobrov transport ship and it was also used to recover a destroyed Sern-class ship.

We also have another familiar face—a Serna-class landing craft.

Interestingly, the military presence on the island has increased. 15 vehicles are in various positions around the island. Zooming in slightly, we see quite a bit to discuss. So, first of all, the central complex is anabsolutel wreck. It is largely a ruin—the red building is still standing but with visible damage to the roof.

Now, the vehicles itself. It appears to me, after zooming in, that 10, 13,, 14 and 15 appear to be dug in. You can see what looks to be raised ground along the sides of them. So I think it is safe to say that these are SAM launchers.

11 and 12, seem to be on a road and not dug in. These look to be either utility vehicles used for quick travel around the island or possibly trucks and vehicles used for resupplying the various SAM systems.

Zooming in on the northern part, we can see the rest of the vehicles. Number 9 also looks to be dug in, so I believe it to be a SAM system of some sort.

Number 8 –I can’t tell. It could be a SAM covering the dock or some sort of utility vehicle.

6 and 7 don’t appear to me to be duf in and look fairly large. Could these be loaders for the missile systems? It’s likely. They are parked up near a small cluster of buildings—buildings that seem undamaged, so I expect these are been used as the main Russian base on the island now.

5 – Looks like it has been freshly unloaded from either the barge or landing craft.

4 – This appears to me to be some sort of trucks or utility behicle. Likely used for fast travel around the island.

1, 2 and 3 are tricky ones. While they do look like they might be dug into positions, it also seems foolish to have SAMs grouped up in one place like this, so closely together. So I think these are likely some sort of utility vehicles. It could be that one is a SAM and the other two vehicles are there resupplying it?

Now, flicking back to the older image for a moment—the positions of some of the vehicles are the same. Further supporting the theory that they are SAMS.

Vehicle 1, for example is in the same place as vehicle 14 on the newer map—so I think we can definitely say it is a SAM.

The same can be true for—on the old map--- vehicle 2 or 10, vehicle 3, the number 4 in the centrall—two vehicle 4s on the map for some reason—and vehicle 6 are all in the same position.

So, I am confident that we can say that is Snake Island’s SAM coverage. Five confirmed SAM systems in static place. The other vehicles—some could be other SAMs. Some could be various utility vehicles. Some could be loaders.