The last civilians were able to leave the Azovstal steel plant, and Ukrainian authorities now hope to evacuate the wounded and soldiers.

The island of snakes may be the confetti that emerges over an area of ​​17 hectares above the waves, but it is a strategic point in the Black Sea that allows serious threats but is particularly exposed. From the first day of the conflict in Ukraine, the Russians attacked to capture it. This led to this episode, which erupted into kyiv propaganda, in which the Ukrainian Coast Guard sent the Russian ship Moscow by radio, which later sank. “Let go”This pebble gives a symbolic weight in addition to its strategic interest.

The Ukrainians announced a new strike on Monday, claiming to have destroyed a Russian battery by bombing the island last week, which destroyed two Russian patrol boats near the island, and on Saturday they destroyed a Russian landing ship. Its importance.

Covering an area of ​​a few hectares, this area offers a really intimidating shooting site everywhere. It is about fifty kilometers from the mouth of the Danube, one of the main rivers in Europe, and an important trade route, one hundred kilometers from Odessa and allows you to hit the whole Ukrainian coast in theory. It is located 200 km from the large Romanian port of Constanta and 300 km from the large Crimean Russian base at Sevastopol.

“Island vulnerable”

In this battle, “This is a fundamental, strategic point that must be monitored: it prevents air-sea access to the entire Ukrainian coast, which threatens the mouth of the Danube.”, Capt. Eric Lavald, spokesman for the French Navy. On such a platform, the Russians “Anti-aircraft defense equipment, anti-ship defense equipment, but can also place medium-range missile systems in addition to the firefighters of the Black Sea Navy ships, which is a fulcrum, which allows to be more confident in approaches. Ukrainian beachesAccording to Igor Delano, deputy director of the Franco-Russian Observatory in Moscow and an expert on the Russian navy.

But on the other hand “Island vulnerable”Analyzed by Michael Peterson of the U.S. Navy College of War. “Any resident can be attacked. It is difficult to defend such a small island.”. “If the Ukrainians breathe a sigh of relief, there is a step to go. This may be a good thing for the involvement of special forces.”Eric Lavald believes.

In addition, the island offers a large marine field and the wealth that accompanies it, especially the submarine gas deposit. Romania and Ukraine had to go to court in The Hague to resolve their dispute over the control of these resources. The International Court of Justice finally ruled in 2009 that the island was Ukrainian but that most of the deposits around it were Romanian.

For more information, read this article published at the beginning of the conflict: