Journalists showcased the duty of Ukrainian servicemen and soldiers of the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDC – ed.) at one of the landmark frontiers of this war – Snake Island.

CNN reports about the security and defense of the island in the Black Sea.

Journalists interviewed a representative of the RDC detachment with the call sign “Fortune.” He is one of the soldiers defending the island.

According to him, Ukraine maintains a small military presence on the island. In fact, this is an observation mission.

“I lived with my family in Ukraine and then Russia attacked us. If any other country attacked us, we would also fight,” says a soldier with the call sign “Fortune.”

He claims that the Russians are no longer attacking, at least in this part of Ukraine.

Snake Island is a tiny piece of land that plays a huge role in Russia’s war against Ukraine.

“At this stage, the Russians are only launching air strikes,” the military says. “So we can hear them coming. We also have observers around the perimeter and we get intelligence. Therefore, we are usually warned of a possible attack.”

Occasionally, they see Russian warships from afar.

“We’ve got to be on guard 24/7 so we’ve never been bored here. There’s always something to do,” “Fortune” says.

According to journalists, the local military cannot communicate with their families. Even when there is a signal, the threat of detection by the Russians still remains. And because the tiny boats used to transport goods frequently do not arrive owing to weather conditions, duty here might be extended due to nature, sometimes for a week.

Reconquest of Snake Island

One of the representatives of a small garrison on the island with the call sign “Shakespeare” told CNN about the return of Snake Island.

In his opinion, most of the hard work occurred in May, when Russian positions were fired upon.

“The Russians were wrong to believe that we could not get to them. They thought that we could only fire them from multiple launch rocket systems, so they installed anti-aircraft systems on the island. They were able to intercept our missiles, but we used comprehensive artillery strikes,” “Shakespeare” said.

According to him, French CAESAR ACSs were used in the battle, as well as Grad multiple rocket launchers. The military talked of the Ukrainian Bohdana ACS, which has a range of 40 kilometers, without much enthusiasm. “She broke down more than she fired,” ​​he says.

There were also many difficulties with the use of artillery at sea – this is much more difficult than the usual static work on the ground. “The conditions are different, so aiming is difficult,” he adds. Reconnaissance drones helped to make artillery fire more accurate.

“Shakespeare” also remembered the first landing on the island at the end of June, after the Russian positions were defeated:

“It was a special forces unit and Marine sappers. Combat swimmers, divers. They checked the water area for mines so that others could approach the island on ships.”

The military found an uninhabited garbage dump on the island. The Russians fled in a hurry, leaving ammunition and weapons.

The almost intact Тor-М2 anti-aircraft system remained abandoned. “If they had time, they would blow it up,” adds the soldier.

In addition to raising the morale of Ukrainians, the reconquest of Snake Island had a strategic point.

“Control of the Snake Island allows the Danube River estuary’s control. Without securing (the island), signing a grain agreement would be impossible,'” “Shakespeare” said, referring to a UN-brokered initiative agreed in July. It allowed Ukraine to resume grain exports through the Black Sea.