Snake Island has been occupied by the Russians since the early days of the war as it is a strategic site for the control of the western Black Sea.
Since then, however, it has been the object of Ukrainian ‘attention’.
It was near Snake Island that the cruiser Moskva was hit and sunk.
In recent days, however, the Ukrainian attacks have become more intense and it is clear that more than two months after the start of the war, the Russian air force has not achieved air superiority over the entire Ukrainian territory.
Three days ago there was a video of an Ukrainian Bayraktar TB.2 hitting and destroying an anti-aircraft system on the island.
Two days ago there was a video showing a Ukrainian Navy Bayraktar TB.2 drone hitting a Russian landing craft Project 11770 (Serna class) that was transporting a TOR anti-aircraft system to the island, probably to replace the one destroyed the day before.
Yesterday a new video showed the destruction of a Russian Mi-8 transporting reinforcement troops to the island.
However, the video that is most telling, also with regard to the control of the skies, is the one released yesterday in which two Ukrainian Sukhoi Su-27s are seen attacking targets on the island and destroying them.
There are therefore two considerations that can be made in this regard.
The defences of Snake island have been severely hit and to date there appear to be no effective anti-aircraft defences. If the level of attacks continues at this rate, there is no telling how long the Russian garrison will be able to hold out on the island (which has already seen its military potential reduced to a minimum).
The fact that not only armed drones but also fighter jets can operate in the vicinity of the island shows that not only does the Ukrainian air force still possess aircraft capable of striking Russian positions, but that the Russian air force has not been able, after more than 70 days of bombing, to achieve complete control of the skies, with all that this entails in military terms.
