The fierce fight for control of a tiny but strategic island in the Black Sea has become emblematic of the war in Ukraine, as Vladimir Trendafilovski explains.
The small, but rocky Snake Island is situated 19nm east of the Ukrainian part of the Danube Delta, in the Odesa Oblast. Despite its diminutive size, the island has a very strategic location, as it offers control not only over all the ports and maritime traffic in the northwestern portion of the Black Sea and the mouth of the Danube, but also over the airspace in the Black Sea coastal regions of Ukraine and Romania – including the Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base, which is situated 104 miles southwest of it.
After being occupied by the Russian Federation at the very beginning of the invasion of Ukraine on February 24, Snake Island became a stage for air operations conducted not only by the Ukrainian Air Force (UkrAF) and the Russian Air Force (RuAF), but also by the aviation elements of the Ukrainian Navy (UkrN) and the Russian Navy (RuN).
![In addition to basic tasks shared with Ukrainian Army Aviation crews, the crews of UkrNA Mi-8 combat transport helicopters also have a number of specific tasks, including various manners of deployment of UkrN SF troops. We see here a pair of UkrNA Mi-8MSB-Vs (s/n ’44 Yellow’ is the one closer to the camera and s/n ’43 Yellow’ is immediately behind it) preparing to hover at an extremely low altitude above the Black Sea waters in order to deploy UkrN SF divers in the port of Odesa in late August 2021. Note the position of their tail rotors on the starboard side.](https://fullfatthings-keyaero.b-cdn.net/sites/keyaero/files/styles/article_body/public/woodwing/2022-08/121037.jpeg?itok=PBHPsle3)