Body Of 27 Special Forces Left On Beach, UK Calls Russia-Ukraine Fighting On Snake Island Continues

Illustration of Snake Island in the Black Sea. (Wikimedia Commons / Photonac)

JAKARTA - The fighting between Russia and Ukraine on Snake Island continues, as 27 bodies of Kyiv nationalist and special forces troops are left on the beach after an earlier attempt to seize control of the island was thwarted by Moscow.

The bodies of 27 Ukrainian special operations forces as well as nationalists have been left on Snake Island after the Kiev operation failed, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov said. Previously, the number of bodies found abandoned on the beach was 24.

"Today (overnight), Russian service members found three bodies of Ukrainian commandos washed up on the beach. Now, as a result of the failure of the Kiev operation, there are still 27 bodies of militants from Ukrainian special operations forces as well as nationalists on Snake Island," he said, launching TASS 11 May.

On May 9, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that more than 50 commandos had been eliminated, in an attempt to seize Snake Island by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Meanwhile, on February 24, Ukraine lost control of Snake Island, located off the Odessa region of the Black Sea near the Romanian border.

"In the Snake Island area, 82 Ukrainian soldiers laid down their weapons and voluntarily surrendered to the Russian Armed Forces. Currently, they are signing a written oath to refuse military resistance. They will soon be returned to their families," Konashenkov said.

As previously reported, Russia claimed to have thwarted a provocation attempt to seize the Snake Snake by Ukraine, citing the US and Britain, leaving dozens of Kyiv soldiers dead.

The Ukrainian General Staff with the direct participation of advisers from the US and UK planned a provocation to seize Snake Island, but was thwarted by Russian forces, according to Konashenkov.

"Since 7 May on the direct orders of Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian General Staff with the direct participation of advisers from the US and UK has been planning a major provocation to seize Snake Island," he said.

"Due to the professional move by the units of the Russian Armed Forces Troops on the island, the Ukrainian provocations were thwarted. The enemy suffered heavy losses," Konashenkov continued.

Apart, fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces has continued on Zmiinyi Island, also known as Snake Island, with Russia repeatedly trying to strengthen its exposed forces.

"If Russia consolidates its position on Zmiinyi Island with strategic air defenses and coastal defense cruise missiles, they can dominate the northwestern Black Sea," the UK Ministry of Defense tweeted in its regular bulletin.

Russian supply ships have minimum protection in the western Black Sea, following the Russian Navy's withdrawal to Crimea after losing the Battleship Moskva, the tweet continued.