The battle for Snake Island

just twice the size of Alcatraz, Snake Island has played a surprisingly big role in the war in Ukraine. The fortress was a target from day one, when Russia’s Black Sea flagship, the , arrived at its shores to request the surrender of its tiny guardpost. The garrison’s famously impolite refusal became a for the country. The in April, in turn, saw the rock take on a new defensive significance for Russian vessels in the Black Sea. In the days that followed the sinking Russia fortified the island with new anti-aircraft, missile and radar systems. Ukraine responded when it could, using what it could: fighter jets, Bayraktar drones and anti-ship missiles. But the Russians did not budge. Ukraine may now have succeeded in a new offensive to wrest back control of the island, with reports from the Ukrainian side as went to press on June 30th that the Russians were in retreat, and a report from Russia that it was withdrawing as a “goodwill gesture” to facilitate the export of grain from Odessa. Not many people will believe that is the real reason, and there are still many obstacles to reopening the port, a crucial part of the global food supply-chain.