The Kremlin described the withdrawal from Snake Island as a “gesture of goodwill.” But the Ukrainian army claimed to have forced the Russians to flee in two small speedboats after a barrage of Ukrainian artillery and missile raids. The exact number of troops was not known. “Unable to withstand the impact of our artillery, missile and air force units, the Russian occupiers have left Snake Island. The Odessa region has been completely liberated,” the Ukrainian military said in a regular social media briefing on Thursday night. A senior Ukrainian military official, Oleksiy Gromov, said earlier that Kyiv planned to deploy troops to Snake Island, but did not specify a timetable. “At the moment, we are controlling (the island) with the help of our weapons: long-range artillery, missile units and air force,” Gromov said. The representative of the Russian Ministry of Defense, Lieutenant General. Igor Konashenkov insisted that the withdrawal was intended to prove that “the Russian Federation did not obstruct the United Nations’ efforts to establish a humanitarian corridor for the importation of agricultural products from the territory of Ukraine.” Ukraine and the West have accused Russia of blocking Ukrainian ports to curb grain exports, contributing to the global food crisis. Russia has denied the allegations, saying Ukraine must remove landmines from the Black Sea to allow safe navigation. Turkey tried to mediate an agreement to unblock grain exports from Ukraine, but talks continued without signs of rapid progress, with Kyiv expressing concern that Russia could use the agreement to launch an attack on Odessa. Snake Island is located along a busy shipping lane. Russia took over in the early days of the war with the apparent hope of using it as a landmark for an attack on Odessa. It was unclear whether the evacuation meant a change in Moscow’s plans for Ukraine’s largest port, which is critical to transporting grain to Africa, the Middle East and other parts of the world. It is also the headquarters of the country’s navy. Early Friday, Sergi Bratsuk, a spokesman for the Odessa regional administration, told the Telegram that a Russian rocket had hit an apartment building in Odessa, killing at least 10 people.
Battle for Lysychansk in the East
Meanwhile, Moscow has continued to push for control of the entire Donbass region in eastern Ukraine. It is located in the city of Lysychansk, the last remaining stronghold of Ukraine in the province of Luhansk. Russian troops and their separatist allies control 95 percent of Luhansk and about half of Donetsk, the two main Russian-speaking provinces of Donbass. Ukraine has said the Russians are bombing Lysychansk and clashing with Ukrainian defenders around an oil refinery at its ends. Buildings destroyed by a military strike appear in Lysychansk on June 17. (Oleksandr Ratushniak / Reuters) The Ukrainian military said Thursday night that Russia had “partial success” that day around the plant, about 17 kilometers southwest of the city. They made no mention of claims that the attacking forces managed to cross the strategic Siverskiy Donets River and enter the city from the north. Luhansk Governor Sergie Haidai said Russian reconnaissance units trying to enter Lysychansk on Wednesday were repulsed. He said the Russians were trying to block a highway used to deliver supplies and completely encircle the city. “The Russians did their best to occupy the city,” Haidai said, but denied that Lysychansk was under siege. Ukrainian soldiers run for cover during an artillery battle between Ukrainian and Russian troops in Lysychansk on June 11. (Aris Messini / AFP / Getty Images) However, Haidai noted that as of Thursday afternoon, evacuations from the city had been impossible due to heavy bombardment and mine-laden access roads. Earlier, the Ukrainian army said it had no plans to withdraw from Lysychansk. A spokesman for the Russian-backed separatists in Luhansk claimed that pro-Russian forces had entered Lysychansk on Thursday after a dangerous crossing of the river – which, if true, would be a major development. Military analysts had previously told the AP that Russian forces were unlikely to cross the river without heavy losses due to the high positions of the defenders. It was impossible to immediately verify the accuracy of the statements made to the Russian Interfax agency by Andrey Marochko, who leads the armed forces of the self-proclaimed, unrecognized separatist region. There was no official confirmation from Moscow or Kyiv.
