On June 30, Russian forces abandoned the strategic Snake Island outpost in the Black Sea, celebrated as a victory for Ukraine. The withdrawal is significant as it would loosen Russia’s grip on Ukraine’s ports that have been under a blockade for days.
Russia claimed it had decided to leave the rocky outcrop off the southwest coast of Ukraine as a “gesture of goodwill” to demonstrate that Moscow was not impeding efforts by the UN to establish a humanitarian corridor that would allow the grain to be carried from Ukraine.
However, Ukraine and the West view it as a victory for the resisting troops.
On July 1, a day after the Russian withdrawal, a senior US Defense Department official said the Russian military decided to leave Snake Island due to significant pressure applied by the Ukrainian forces and the deployment of Harpoon missiles.
“The way we view this development [Russians leaving the Snake Island] is that the Ukrainians were very successful at applying significant pressure on the Russians, including by using those Harpoon missiles that they recently acquired to attack a [Russian] resupply ship,” the official said during a press briefing, according to Sputnik News Agency.
On June 17, EurAsian Times reported that the Ukrainian Navy claimed a devastating attack on the Russian rescue tug boat ‘Spasatel Vatsily Bekh,’ which delivered weapons and soldiers from the Black Sea Fleet to Snake Island. Two Harpoon missiles reportedly struck the Russian rescue vessel.
The US Department of Defense has now confirmed that Ukrainian forces had fired a Harpoon missile leading to the sinking of a Russian resupply ship. Snake Island, held by Russia since the beginning of the invasion, was recaptured by Ukrainian forces thanks to the sinking of the ship, USNI News reported.
The arrival of Harpoon, MRLS and other longer ranged Western weapons bolstered #Ukraine‘s existing arsenal, making the island relatively easy to bombard. It became indefensible pic.twitter.com/T7niLVDWv0
— H I Sutton (@CovertShores) June 30, 2022
Earlier, the Russian Cruiser Moskva was told to “go f*** yourself” by a Ukrainian service member on the island known as Zmiinyi Ostrov. This made the island the symbol of Ukrainian resistance.
Later, Ukraine sank Moskva in the Black Sea in a major setback to the Russian troops. Russian President Vladimir Putin relieved some of his top admirals following the Moskva’s sinking.
#Ukraine: Big news from the Black Sea- the Ukrainian Navy claims to have destroyed the Russian “Vasily Bekh” rescue vessel, as it travelled to the famous Snake Island; it reportedly had a Tor-M2KM SAM system on board.
The strike was filmed by a TB-2 drone; 2 munitions are used. pic.twitter.com/pCjMf2RX4d
— ?? Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) June 17, 2022
While Moskva was sunk after being hit by a Neptune missile, the Russian resupply boat was hit by an anti-ship Harpoon missile supplied to Ukraine not too long ago. The shipment of ground-launched Harpoons to Ukraine and their critical launchers was announced only in late May.
Between NATO and Russia, the Black Sea functions as a strategic buffer. Therefore, Moscow has a geostrategic imperative for Russian control in the Black Sea region to project Russian strength in the Mediterranean and ensure trade access to vital southern European markets.
Ukraine wants to protect it for the same reason. It is where the Harpoon and other missiles supplied by the West come into the picture.
The Game-Changing Harpoon Missile
The Harpoon missile has been the most popular Western anti-ship weapon since the US Navy first used it in 1977.
The Harpoon is a subsonic, high-explosive, over-the-horizon, sea-skimming anti-ship missile. It uses active radar to follow its target and explodes upon contact.
Read More: Super Harpoons! Meet US Navy’s ‘Game Changing’ Missile That ‘Forced’ Russia To