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
Sgt Wilky Plays
1 hour agoTherapeutics with Dr Kong
107 watching -
1:10:23
Man in America
22 hours agoAre MK-Ultra Parasites Rewiring Your Brain? | Detoxing, Peptides & Parasite Warfare w/ Diane Kazer
18.1K37 -
LIVE
TheSchleppy
22 hours ago $0.21 earned✨TheSchleppy✨24HR 2 YRS ON RUMBLE STREAM! RIGHT INTO RUMBLE HALO EVENT!
56 watching -
LIVE
JakRazGaming
2 hours agoPlaying Ghost of Tsushima DIRECTOR'S CUT!! on PS5 Stream 6
61 watching -
29:06
Scary Mysteries
1 day agoThe Corpsewood Manor Murders: Satan, Secrets, and a Savage End
5.89K4 -
2:08:56
Lara Logan
1 day agoUNHOLY EXPERIMENTS: Justin Goodman Exposes the Evil of Animal Torture | Ep 28
8.72K13 -
LIVE
The Sufari Hub
1 hour ago🔴SUFARI AUGUST SHOWCASE 🔴W CONTENT 🔴 10 SUBS? 🔴WHAT SHALL WE DO THIS COMING MONTH?
19 watching -
LIVE
CHiLi XDD
2 hours agoSTREET FIGHTER 6 - Rise and Grind to Master!
30 watching -
36:27
Degenerate Plays
1 day agoStatic Shock Actually Changed My Life - Batman: Arkham Asylum : Part 10
43 -
6:32
Members Club
1 day agoWNBA Players Demand Pay—Then Get Petty With Caitlin Clark
215