On Snake Island in the Black Sea, where Russian forces were compelled to flee last week, the Ukrainian flag has been flown once more.
The country’s military announced yesterday that the flag would be raised on the craggy outcrop as soon as Ukrainian troops arrived.
After some initial uncertainty on whether or not the flag was hoisted, Andriy Yermak, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, released a photo in the afternoon demonstrating the raised flag on Snake Island.
According to some analysts, Russia’s departure from Snake Island, which is off the coast of Ukraine’s southwest, could ease its blockade of Ukrainian ports.
However, a foreign diplomat based in Kyiv claimed that it was still insufficient to permit the safe transit of Ukrainian grain.
The ambassador stated that although demining is necessary, Russia still has the ability to blockade shipping lanes thanks to its armed boats, coastal defense systems, and air dominance.
The diplomat added that Ukraine would require assistance from allies and crucial participation from Turkey in order to open its ports so it can ship grain.
In a viral video, a Ukrainian soldier who was responding to calls for surrender on Snake Island, which Russia had just taken control of, told a Russian warship to “go f*** yourself.”
His outburst turned into a well-known protest phrase.
Russia said that its withdrawal from Snake Island on Thursday was made as a “gesture of goodwill” to demonstrate that it was not impeding efforts by the UN to establish a humanitarian corridor that would allow grain to be transferred from Ukraine.
Following a barrage of artillery and missiles, Ukraine claimed to have driven the Russian forces from the area.
According to The Guardian, Ukrainian authorities believed that a Russian military assault on Serhiivka, a town close to Odesa, on Friday was retaliation for the removal of Russian troops from Snake Island the day before.
At least 21 individuals, including two children, were killed by two Russian missile strikes on a multi-story apartment building and a recreation center.
The leader of Ukraine’s security agency, the SBU, Ivan Bakanov, stated: “The occupiers cannot prevail on the battlefield, so they turn to the heinous murdering of people.”
“After being driven from Snake Island, the enemy decided to retaliate with the cynical shelling of civilian targets,” the report reads.