View source for Snake Island (Ukraine)

{{Short description|Island in the Black Sea}}
{{About|the island in Ukraine|the island in Brazil|Ilha da Queimada Grande|other uses|Snake Island (disambiguation){{!}}Snake Island}}
{{More footnotes needed|date=October 2012}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2022}}
{{Infobox islands
| name             = Snake Island
| native_name      = острів Зміїний
| native_name_lang = uk
| image_name       = Селище Біле, острів Зміїний (2008).jpg
| image_caption    = 2008 photo of the island
| image_size       =
| image_map        = {{Maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|frame-width=280|frame-height=280|zoom=15|frame-lat=45.255|frame-long=30.204167|type=point|marker= harbor|id=Q155868|stroke-width=2|stroke-color=#000000|title=Snake Island}}
| pushpin_map = Ukraine Odesa Oblast#Ukraine#Black Sea
| pushpin_label_position = top
| pushpin_relief  = 1
| pushpin_map_caption =
| nickname         =
| location         = [[Black Sea]]
| coordinates      = {{Coord|45|15|N|30|12|E|}}
| area_km2         = 0.17
| length_m        = 662
| width_m         = 440
| highest_mount    = N/An
| elevation_m      = 41
| country          = {{Flagu|Ukraine}}
| country_admin_divisions_title = [[Oblasts of Ukraine|Oblast]]
| country_admin_divisions = {{flag|Odesa Oblast|name=Odesa}}
| country_admin_divisions_title_1 = [[Raions of Ukraine|Raion]]
| country_admin_divisions_1 = [[Izmail Raion]]
| country_admin_divisions_title_2   = ''[[Hromada]]''
| country_admin_divisions_2         = [[Vylkove urban hromada|Vylkove]]
| country_capital_city              =
| country_largest_city              = [[Bile, Odesa Oblast|Bile]]
| country_largest_city_population   =
| country_leader_title              =
| country_leader_name               =
| population       = 0
| population_as_of =
| density_km2      = 600
| ethnic_groups    =
| additional_info  =}}
{{Coord|45|15|18|N|30|12|15|E|type:isle|display=title}}
'''Snake Island''', also known as '''Serpent Island''', '''White Island''', '''Island of Achilles''' or '''Zmiinyi Island''' ({{langx|uk|острів Змії́ний|ostriv Zmiinyi}}; {{langx|ro|Insula Șerpilor}}), is a Ukrainian island located in the [[Black Sea]], near the [[Danube Delta]], with an important role in delimiting Ukrainian territorial waters.
The island has been known since [[classical antiquity]], and during that era hosted a [[Ancient Greek temple|Greek temple]] to [[Achilles]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Rusyaeva |first=Anna |date=2003-01-01 |title=The Temple of Achilles on the Island of Leuke in the Black Sea |url=https://brill.com/view/journals/acss/9/1-2/article-p1_1.xml |journal=Ancient Civilizations from Scythia to Siberia |language=en |volume=9 |issue=1–2 |pages=1–16 |doi=10.1163/157005703322114810 |issn=0929-077X}}</ref> Today, it is administered as part of [[Izmail Raion]] of Ukraine's [[Odesa Oblast]].
The island is populated, reported to have under 30 people in 2012. A village, [[Bile, Odesa Oblast|Bile]], was founded in February 2007 with the purpose of consolidating the status of the island as an inhabited place. This happened during the period in which the island was part of a border dispute between Romania and Ukraine from 2004 to 2009, during which Romania contested the technical definition of the island and borders around it. The territorial limits of the [[continental shelf]] around Snake Island [[Maritime Delimitation in the Black Sea case|were delineated]] by the [[International Court of Justice]] in 2009,<ref name=ICJ>{{Cite web |url=http://www.icj-cij.org/docket/index.php?p1=3&p2=3&code=ru&case=132&k=95 |title=International Court of Justice: Maritime Delimitation in the Black Sea (Romania v. Ukraine) |access-date=4 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080924054750/http://www.icj-cij.org/docket/index.php?p1=3&p2=3&code=ru&case=132&k=95 |archive-date=24 September 2008 }}</ref> providing Romania with almost 80% of the disputed maritime territory.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dw.com/ro/insula-%C5%9Ferpilor-decizie-favorabil%C4%83-rom%C3%A2niei/a-3999047|title = Insula Șerpilor: Decizie favorabilă României &#124; DW &#124; 03.02.2009|website = [[Deutsche Welle]]}}</ref>
In the [[2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine]], two Russian navy warships [[Snake Island campaign|attacked and captured Snake Island]].<ref name="MayHaveSurvived">{{cite news |last=Lamothe |first=Dan |date=26 February 2022 |title=Ukrainian border guards may have survived reported last stand on Snake Island |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/02/26/ukraine-russia-snake-island/ |url-access=subscription |access-date=27 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220227032528/https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/02/26/ukraine-russia-snake-island/ |archive-date=27 February 2022}}</ref> It was subsequently bombarded heavily by Ukraine<ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-05-11 |title=Ukraine war: Snake Island and battle for control in Black Sea |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-61406808 |access-date=2022-05-27}}</ref> and recaptured within a few months, following a Russian withdrawal.<ref name=kosiw>{{Cite news |title=Ukraine says it has pushed Russian forces from Snake Island |last=Koshiw |first=Isobel |newspaper=The Guardian |date=30 June 2022 |url= https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jun/30/ukraine-forces-reportedly-recapture-snake-island-in-strategic-win}}</ref>
==Geography==
[[File:Скелясті береги острова.jpg|left|thumb|Rock outcrop of conglomerate on the island]]
Snake Island is located 35&nbsp;km from the coast, east of the mouth of the [[Danube|Danube River]]. The island is irregularly shaped, with an area of {{cvt|0.205|km2}} and a maximum diameter of about 700m. The gently sloping terrain reaches its highest point {{convert|41|m|ft}} above sea level.
The bedrock of the island consists of [[Silurian]] and [[Devonian]] sedimentary rocks, primarily [[Metamorphism|metamorphosed]], highly [[Cementation (geology)|cemented]] [[quartzite]] [[Conglomerate (geology)|conglomerate]]-[[breccia]]s, with subordinate conglomerate, [[sandstone]] and [[clay]], which form cliffs surrounding the island up to 25 metres high. The [[structural geology]] of the island is defined by a wavy [[monocline]] oriented to the northeast, with a small [[anticline]] in the eastern part of the island. The island is crisscrossed by [[Fault (geology)|faults]] with both N-S and NE-SW orientations.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Cherkez|first1=E.A.|last2=Pogrebnaya|first2=O.А.|last3=Svitlychnyi|first3=S.V.|last4=Kozlova|first4=T.V.|last5=Medinets|first5=S.V.|last6=Buyanovskiy|first6=A.O.|last7=Medinets|first7=T.S.|title=XIV International Scientific Conference "Monitoring of Geological Processes and Ecological Condition of the Environment" |chapter=Using of radiometric method in studying of the Zmiinyi Island structural and tectonic features |date=2020|chapter-url=https://www.earthdoc.org/content/papers/10.3997/2214-4609.202056065|volume=2020 |language=en|location=Kyiv, Ukraine|publisher=European Association of Geoscientists & Engineers|pages=1–5|doi=10.3997/2214-4609.202056065|s2cid=235055591 }}</ref>
The nearest coastal location to the island is Kubanskyi Island on the Ukrainian part of the [[Danube Delta]], located {{convert|35|km|mi|abbr=on}} away between the [[Bystroye Canal|Bystroe Canal]] and Skhidnyi Channel. The closest Romanian coastal city, [[Sulina]], is {{convert|45|km|mi|abbr=on}} away. The closest Ukrainian city is [[Vylkove]], {{convert|50|km|mi|abbr=on}}; however, there also is a port Ust-Dunaisk, {{convert|44|km|mi|abbr=on}} away from the island.
For the end of 2011 in Zmiinyi Island coastal waters, 58 fish species (12 of which are included into the Red Book of Ukraine)<ref>''Snigirov S, Goncharov O, Sylantyev S.'' The fish community in Zmiinyi Island waters: structure and determinants. [https://www.springer.com/life+sciences/ecology/journal/12526 Marine Biodiversity] 2012. {{doi|10.1007/s12526-012-0109-4}}</ref> and six crab species were recorded. A presidential decree of 9 December 1998, Number 1341/98, declared the island and coastal waters as a state-protected area. The total protected area covers {{convert|232|ha}}.
The island was one of the last [[hauling-out]] sites in the basin for critically endangered [[Mediterranean monk seal]]s until the 1950s.<ref name=BlackPedia>Sergei R. Grinevetsky, Igor S. Zonn, Sergei S. Zhiltsov, Aleksey N. Kosarev, Andrey G. Kostianoy, 2014, [https://books.google.com/books?id=KFCqBAAAQBAJ&q=monk+seal+&pg=PA532 The Black Sea Encyclopedia]</ref>
==Population and infrastructure==
[[File:Острів Зміїний (карта).jpg|thumb|Map of the island|left]]
About 100 inhabitants live on the island's only settlement, [[Bile, Odesa Oblast|Bile]], mostly frontier guard servicemen with their families and technical personnel. In 2003, an initiative of the [[Odesa University|Odesa I. I. Mechnikov National University]] established the Ostriv Zmiinyi marine research station every year, at which scientists and students from the university conduct research on local fauna, flora, geology, meteorology, atmospheric chemistry, and hydrobiology.
In accordance with a 1997 Treaty between Romania and Ukraine, the Ukrainian authorities withdrew an army radio division, demolished a military [[radar]], and transferred all other infrastructure to civilians. Eventually, the Romania-Ukraine international relationships soured (see "Maritime delimitation" section) when Romania tried to assert that the island is no more than a rock in the sea. In February 2007, the [[Verkhovna Rada]] approved establishing a rural settlement as part of Vylkove city which is located some distance away at the mouth of the [[Danube]].
In addition to a [[helicopter]] platform, in 2002 a [[pier]] was built for ships with up to 8 meter draught, and construction of a [[harbor|harbour]] is{{when|date=April 2022}} underway. The island is supplied with navigation equipment, including a 150-year-old [[lighthouse]]. Electric power is provided by a dual solar/diesel power station. The island also has civil infrastructure such as the marine research station, a post office, a bank (branch of the Ukrainian bank "Aval"), the first-aid station, a satellite television provider, a phone network, a cell phone tower, and an Internet link. Most of building structures are located either in the middle of the island by a lighthouse or the northeastern peninsula of the island by its pier.
The island lacks a [[fresh water]] source.<ref name="Ivan2012"/> Its border guard contingent is regularly resupplied by air.<ref name="reuters2008"/> Since 2009 the development of the island was suspended due to financing which caused a great degree of concern of local authorities asking for more funding from the state.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=An appeal of the Odesa Regional Council to the Verkhovna Rada and the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine on the further development of infrastructure of the Snake Island and the Bile settlement of the Kiliia Raion of Odesa Oblast |url=https://oblrada.od.gov.ua/wp-content/uploads/617-VI.pdf |journal=Ukraine Odesa Regional Council Decisions}}</ref>
===Lighthouse===
{{Infobox building
| name             = Snake Island Lighthouse
| native_name      = Mаяк
| native_name_lang = Romanian
| former_names     =
| alternate_names  =
| image            = [[File:Insula Serpilor in 1896.JPG|200px]]
| image_alt        =
| caption          = The lighthouse in the background in 1896
| map_type         =
| altitude         = {{convert|40|m|ft}}
| building_type    = service
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| location_town    = [[Bile, Odesa Oblast|Bile]]
| location_country = [[Ukraine]]
| coordinates      =
| start_date       =
| completion_date  = Autumn<!-- WP:MOS: Don't use seasons except in proper nouns --> 1842
| inauguration_date =
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| height           = {{convert|12|m|ft}}
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| main_contractor  = [[Black Sea Fleet]]
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}}
The Snake Island Lighthouse was built in the autumn of 1842<ref>[http://vitrenko.at.ua/blog/2008-03-21-18 Vitrenko's Odesa website] {{in lang|ru}}</ref> by the [[Black Sea Fleet]] of the [[Russian Empire]]. The lighthouse is an [[octagon]]al-shaped building, 12 meters tall, located near the highest elevated area of the island, 40 meters above the sea level. The lighthouse built on site of the previously destroyed temple of [[Achilles]] is adjacent to a housing building. The remnants of the Greek temple were found in 1823.
As lighthouse technology progressed, in 1860 new lighthouse lamps were bought from England, and one of them was installed in the Lighthouse in 1862. In the early 1890s a new [[kerosene]] lamp was installed, with lamp rotating equipment and flat lenses. It improved the lighthouse visibility to {{convert|20|nmi|km|disp=flip}}. The lighthouse was either destroyed or damaged in the First World War (it is not clear which). It was subsequently rebuilt (see [[#World War I]] below).
The lighthouse was heavily damaged during [[World War II]] by [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] aviation and [[Nazi Germany|German]] retreating forces. It was restored at the end of 1944 by the [[Odesa]] military radio detachment. In 1949 it was further reconstructed and equipped by the [[Black Sea Fleet]]. The lighthouse was further upgraded in 1975 and 1984. In 1988 a new radio beacon "KPM-300" was installed with radio signal range of {{convert|150|nmi|km|disp=flip}}.
In August 2004, the lighthouse was equipped with a radio beacon "Yantar-2M-200", which provides differential correction signal for global navigation satellite systems [[Global Positioning System|GPS]] and [[GLONASS]].
The lighthouse is listed as UKR 050 by ARLHS, EU-182 by IOTA, and BS-07 by UIA.
==History and mythology==
[[File:Map of Mercator Tavrica Chersones 1613.JPG|thumb|Fidonixi on the Mercator's map|left]]
[[File:Roman provinces of Illyricum, Macedonia, Dacia, Moesia, Pannonia and Thracia.jpg|thumb|left|The island carries the name of Leuce on this map of [[Johann Gustav Droysen]]]]
=== Ancient history ===
The island was named by the Greeks '''{{lang|grc-Latn|Leuke}}''' ({{langx|grc|Λευκή}}, 'White Island') and was similarly known by Romans as '''{{lang|la|Alba}}''', probably because of the white marble formations that can be found on the isle. According to [[Dionysius Periegetes]], it was called Leuke, because the serpents there were white.<ref>[https://topostext.org/work/201#540 Dionysius of Alexandria, Guide to the Inhabited World, §540]</ref> According to [[Arrian]], it was called Leuke due to its color.<ref name=Arrian_32>[https://el.wikisource.org/wiki/Περίπλους_Ευξείνου_Πόντου#32 Arrian, Periplus of the Euxine Sea, §32]</ref> He and [[Stephanus of Byzantium]] mentioned that the island was also referred to as the '''Island of Achilles''' ({{langx|grc|Ἀχιλλέως νῆσος}}<ref name=Arrian_32/> and {{lang|grc|Ἀχίλλεια νῆσος}}<ref name="Stephanus of Byzantium">[https://topostext.org/work/241#A152.9 Stephanus of Byzantium, Ethnica, §A152.9]</ref>) and the '''[[Racecourse of Achilles]]''' ({{lang|grc|Δρόμον Ἀχιλλέως}}<ref name=Arrian_32/> and {{lang|grc|Ἀχίλλειος δρόμος}}<ref name="Stephanus of Byzantium"/>), though this is now identified with the [[Tendra Spit]].
The island was sacred to the hero [[Achilles]] and had a temple of the hero with a statue inside.<ref>[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0525.tlg001.perseus-grc1:3.19.11 Pausanias, Description of Greece, § 3.19.11]</ref> [[Gaius Julius Solinus|Solinus]] wrote that on the island there was a sacred shrine.<ref>[https://topostext.org/work/747#19.1 Solinus, Polyhistor, §19.1]</ref> According to Arrian in the temple there were many offerings to Achilles and [[Patroclus]].<ref name=Arrian_32/> Furthermore, people came to the island and sacrificed or set animals free in honour of Achilles.<ref name=Arrian_33>[https://el.wikisource.org/wiki/Περίπλους_Ευξείνου_Πόντου#33 Arrian, Periplus of the Euxine Sea, §33]</ref> He also added that people said that Achilles and Patroclus appeared in front of them as hallucinations or in their dreams while they were approaching the coast of the island or sailing a short distance from it.<ref name=Arrian_34>[https://el.wikisource.org/wiki/Περίπλους_Ευξείνου_Πόντου#34 Arrian, Periplus of the Euxine Sea, §34]</ref> [[Pliny the Elder]] wrote that the tomb of the hero was on the island.<ref>[https://topostext.org/work/148#4.26.1 Pliny the Elder, Natural History, §4.26.1]</ref> According to the legend, on the island no bird flew higher than the temple of Achilles.<ref name="Marta González">{{cite book| author = Marta González González| title = Achilles | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=1TFDDwAAQBAJ| publisher = Routledge | date= January 2018| isbn = 978-1-138-67701-2}}</ref>
The uninhabited isle {{lang|grc-Latn|Achilleis}} ("of [[Achilles]]") was the major sanctuary of the hero, where "seabirds dipped their wings in water to sweep the temples clean", according to Constantine D. Kyriazis. Several temples of Thracian [[Apollo]] can be found here, and there are submerged ruins.
According to Greek myths the island was created by [[Poseidon]] for Achilles to inhabit, but also for sailors to have an island to anchor at the [[Euxine Sea]],<ref>[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0638.tlg004.perseus-grc1:746 Philostratus, Heroica, §746]</ref> but the sailors should never sleep on the island.<ref>[https://topostext.org/work/222#747 Philostratus, Heroica, §747]</ref> According to a surviving epitome of the lost [[Trojan War]] epic of [[Arctinus of Miletus]], the remains of [[Achilles]] and [[Patroclus]] were brought to this island by [[Thetis]], to be put in a sanctuary, furnishing the {{lang|grc-Latn|[[aition]]}}, or founding myth of the Hellenic cult of Achilles centred here. According to another myth Thetis gave the island to Achilles and let him live there.<ref name=Arrian_32/> The oracle of [[Delphi]] sent [[Autoleon|Leonymus]] (other writers called him Autoleon<ref>[http://remacle.org/bloodwolf/erudits/photius/conon.htm Conon, Narrations (Photius), 18]</ref>) to the Island, telling him that there [[Ajax the Great]] would appear to him and cure his wound.<ref>[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0525.tlg001.perseus-grc1:3.19.12 Pausanias, Description of Greece, §3.19.12]</ref> Leonymus said that on the island he saw Achilles, Ajax the Great, [[Ajax the Lesser]], [[Patroclus]], [[Antilochus of Pylos|Antilochus]] and [[Helen of Troy]]. In addition, Helen told him to go to [[Stesichorus]] at [[Himera]] and tell him that the loss of his sight was caused by her wrath.<ref>[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0525.tlg001.perseus-grc1:3.19.13 Pausanias, Description of Greece, §3.19.13]</ref> [[Pomponius Mela]] wrote that Achilles was buried there.<ref>[https://topostext.org/work/145#2.98 Pomponius Mela, Chorographia, §2.98]</ref>
In ''[[Andromache (play)|Andromache]]'', work of [[Euripides]], Thetis mention the island and said that Achilles was "dwelling on his island home".<ref>[http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0090:card=1231 Euripides, Andromache, 1231]</ref>
Ruins believed to be of a square temple dedicated to Achilles, 30 meters to a side, were discovered by the Russian naval Captain N. D. Kritzkii in 1823, but the subsequent construction of a lighthouse on the very site obliterated all trace of it.<ref>[https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55199ba1e4b05c72e7fcfae6/t/58714438a5790a9fba84cd6d/1483818079390/The_Temple_of_Achilles_on_the_Island_of+%281%29.pdf Anna S. Rusyaeva, "The temple of Achilles on the island of Leuke in the Black Sea"].</ref> [[Ovid]], who was banished to [[Constanța|Tomis]], mentions the island, so do [[Ptolemy]] and [[Strabo]].<ref>[https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Strabo/2E2*.html ''Geography'', book II.5.22]</ref> The island is described in [[Pliny the Elder]]'s ''[[Natural History (Pliny)|Natural History]]'', IV.27.1. It is also described in [[Arrian]]'s Letter to [[Hadrian|Emperor Hadrian]], a historical document movingly drawn upon by [[Marguerite Yourcenar]] in her ''[[Memoirs of Hadrian]]''.
Several ancient inscriptions were found on the island, including a 4th-century BC [[Olbia, Ukraine|Olbiopolitan]] decree which praises someone for defeating and driving out the pirates that lived on the "holy island". Another inscription which found on the island and dates back to the fifth century BC writes: "Glaukos, son of Posideios, dedicated me to Achilles, lord of Leuke"<ref name="Marta González"/>
A fragment was found on the island which was signed by the famous ancient painter [[Epiktetos]] and the potter [[Nikosthenes]].<ref>[http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0003:entry=no.118&highlight=leuke L. D. Caskey, J. D. Beazley, Attic Vase Paintings in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 118. 00.334 KANTHAROS from TARQUINIA PLATE LXVIII]</ref>
The island was one of the three sites in the Black Sea which stand out in the cult of Achilles, the other two were the [[Racecourse of Achilles]] and the [[Pontic Olbia]].<ref name="Marta González"/>
===Ottoman era===
[[File:Snake Island by Carlo Bossoli, 1856 - Карло Боссоли. Остров Змеиный (cropped).jpg|left|thumb|Snake Island (Ostriv Zmiinyi) by [[Carlo Bossoli]], 1856]]
The Greeks during the Ottoman Empire renamed it '''Fidonisi''' ({{langx|el|Φιδονήσι}}, 'Snake Island') and the island gave its name to the naval [[Battle of Fidonisi]], fought between the Ottoman and Russian fleets in 1788, during the course of the [[Russo-Turkish War (1787–1792)|Russo-Turkish War of 1787–1792]].
In 1829, following the [[Russo-Turkish War (1828–1829)|Russo-Turkish War of 1828–1829]], the island became part of the [[Russian Empire]] until 1856.
In 1877, following the [[Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878)|Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878]], the Ottoman Empire gave the island and [[Northern Dobruja]] region to [[Kingdom of Romania|Romania]], as a reimbursement for the Russian annexation of Romania's [[Southern Bessarabia]] region.
=== World War I and interwar period ===
As part of the [[Romania in World War I|Romanian alliance with Russia]], the Russians operated a wireless station on the island, which was destroyed on 25 June 1917 when it was bombarded by the Ottoman [[cruiser]] ''[[SMS Breslau|Midilli]]'' (built as SMS {{lang|de|Breslau}} of the German Navy). The lighthouse (built by [[Marius Michel Pasha]] in 1860) was also damaged and possibly destroyed.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.firstworldwar.com/onthisday/1917_06_25.htm |title=firstworldwar.com |website=firstworldwar.com |access-date=25 June 2017}}</ref>
The 1920 [[Treaty of Versailles]] reconfirmed the island as part of Romania. The lighthouse was rebuilt in 1922.{{cn|date=June 2023}}
=== World War II ===
{{See also|Black Sea campaigns (1941–1944)|Romanian Navy during World War II}}
The island, under Romanian control during the Second World War, was the location of a radio station used by the Axis forces, which turned it into a target for the Soviet [[Black Sea Fleet]].<ref>Robert Gardiner, ''Warship 1991'', p. 142</ref> The island's defences mainly consisted of several 122&nbsp;mm and 76&nbsp;mm anti-aircraft guns, captured from the Russians.<ref>{{cite book|author-first1=Jipa |author-last1=Rotaru |author-first2=Ioan |author-last2=Damaschin |title=Glorie și dramă: Marina Regală Română, 1940-1945 |publisher=Ion Cristoiu Publishing |date=2000 |page=105 |language=ro}}</ref> The Romanian marine platoon defending the island was also equipped with two 45&nbsp;mm coastal guns, two 37&nbsp;mm anti-aircraft guns, and two anti-aircraft machine guns.<ref>{{cite book|author-first1=Marian |author-last1=Moșneagu |title=Politica navală postbelică a României (1944-1958) |page=402 |language=ro}}</ref>
The first naval action took place on 23 June 1941, when the Soviet destroyer leader ''Kharkov'' together with the destroyers ''Bezposhchadny'' and ''Smyshlyonyi'' and several torpedo boats ran a patrol near the island, but found no Axis ships.<ref>Donald A Bertke, ''World War II Sea War, Vol 4: Germany Sends Russia to the Allies'', p. 73</ref>
On 9 July 1941, the Soviet destroyer leader ''[[Tashkent-class destroyer|Tashkent]]'' together with four other destroyers (''Bodry'', ''Boiky'', ''Bezuprechny'', and ''Bezposhchadny'') conducted a shipping sweep operation near the island, but did not make any contacts.<ref>Donald A Bertke, ''World War II Sea War, Vol 4: Germany Sends Russia to the Allies'', p. 134</ref>
On 7 September 1941, two Soviet submarines of the [[Shchuka-class submarine|''Shchuka'' class]] (''Shch-208'' and ''Shch-213'') and three of the [[Soviet M-class submarine|M class]] (''M-35'', ''M-56'', and ''M-62'') conducted a patrol near the island.<ref>Donald A Bertke, ''World War II Sea War, Vol 4: Germany Sends Russia to the Allies'', p. 260</ref>
On 29–30 October and 5 November 1942, the Romanian minelayers {{ship|NMS|Amiral Murgescu||2}} and ''Dacia'', together with the Romanian destroyers {{ship|NMS|Regina Maria||2}}, {{ship|NMS|Regele Ferdinand||2}}, the Romanian [[flotilla leader]] {{ship|NMS|Mărăști||2}}, the Romanian gunboat ''Stihi'' and four German [[R boat|R boats]] laid two mine barrages around the island.<ref>Nicolae Koslinski, Raymond Stănescu, ''Marina română in al doilea război mondial: 1942–1944'', pp. 53-54 (in Romanian)</ref>
On 1 December 1942, while the Soviet cruiser ''[[Soviet cruiser Voroshilov|Voroshilov]]'' together with the destroyer ''[[Soviet destroyer Soobrazitelny (1940)|Soobrazitelny]]'' were bombarding the island with forty-six 180&nbsp;mm and fifty-seven 100&nbsp;mm shells, the cruiser was damaged by Romanian mines, but it managed to return to [[Poti]] for repairs under her own power. During the brief bombardment, she struck the radio station, barracks and lighthouse on the island, but failed to inflict significant losses.<ref>{{cite book|author-first1=Jipa|author-last1=Rotaru|author-first2=Ioan|author-last2=Damaschin|title=Glorie și dramă: Marina Regală Română, 1940-1945|trans-title=Glory and drama: Romanian Royal Navy, 1940-1945|location=Bucharest|publisher=Ion Cristoiu Publishing|date=2000|pages=93–94|isbn=978-9-73995-447-1|language=RO}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|first=Timothy C|last=Dowling|title=Russia at War: From the Mongol Conquest to Afghanistan, Chechnya, and Beyond|location=Santa Barbara|publisher=ABC-CLIO|year=2015|page=128|isbn=978-1-59884-947-9}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|first=Spencer C|last=Tucker|title=World War II at Sea: An Encyclopedia|location=Santa Barbara|publisher=ABC-CLIO|year=2012|page=114}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|first1=Nicolae|last1=Koslinski|first2=Raymond|last2=Stănescu|title=Marina Română in al Doilea Război Mondial Vol 2: 1942-1944|trans-title=Romanian Navy in the Second World War Volume 2: 1942-1944|location=Bucharest|publisher=Editura Făt-Frumos|year=1997| page=56|oclc=493419659|language=RO}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Yakubov|first1=Vladimir|last2=Worth|first2=Richard|chapter=The Soviet Light Cruisers of the Kirov Class|editor-last=Jordan|editor-first=John|title=Warship 2009|page=92}}</ref>
On 11 December 1942, the Soviet submarine ''Shch-212'' was sunk by a Romanian minefield near the island along with all of her crew of 44.<ref>Donald A Bertke, Gordon Smith, Don Kindell,''World War II Sea War, Vol 8: Guadalcanal Secured'', p. 77</ref><ref>[http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/5043.html ''Shch-212'' on uboat.net]</ref><ref>[http://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?170593 ''Shch-212'' on wrecksite.eu]</ref> The Soviet submarine ''M-31'' was either sunk as well by the Romanian mine barrages near the island on 17 December,<ref>{{cite web |author-last=Helgason |author-first= Guðmundur |url=http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/4946.html |title=M-31 |work=uboat.net |access-date=20 August 2017}}</ref> or sunk with depth charges by the Romanian flotilla leader ''[[NMS Mărășești|Mărășești]]'' on 7 July 1943.<ref>{{cite book|author-last=Whitley |author-first=Michael J. |author-link=Michael J. Whitley |title=Destroyers of World War Two: an international encyclopedia |date=1999 |publisher=[[Lionel Leventhal|Arms & Armour]] |isbn=1-85409-521-8 |location=London |oclc=46505277 |page=224}}</ref>
On 25 August 1943, two Romanian motorboats spotted a Soviet submarine near the island and attacked her with depth charges, but it managed to escape.<ref>{{cite book|author-first1=Jipa |author-last1=Rotaru |author-first2=Ioan |author-last2=Damaschin |title=Glorie și dramă: Marina Regală Română, 1940-1945 |publisher=Ion Cristoiu Publishing |date=2000 |page=127 |language=ro}}</ref>
The Romanian marines were evacuated from the island and Soviet troops occupied it on 29–30 August 1944.<ref>Nicolae Koslinski, Raymond Stănescu, ''Marina română in al doilea război mondial: 1944-1945'', p. 141 (in Romanian)</ref><ref>Victor Roncea, ''Axa: noua Românie la Marea Neagră'', p. 209 (in Romanian)</ref>
=== Post-WWII history ===
The [[Paris Peace Treaties, 1947|Paris Peace Treaties of 1947]] between the protagonists of [[World War II]] stipulated that Romania cede [[Northern Bukovina]], the [[Hertsa region]], [[Budjak]], and [[Bessarabia]] to the Soviet Union, but made no mention of the mouths of the Danube and Snake Island.
Until 1948, Snake Island was a part of Romania. On 4 February 1948, during the delimitation of the frontier, Romania and the Soviet Union signed a protocol that left Snake Island and several islets on the [[Danube]] south of the 1917 Romanian-Russian border under Soviet administration. Romania disputed the validity of this protocol, since it was never ratified by either of the two countries; nevertheless it did not make any official claim on the territories.
The same year, in 1948, during the [[Cold War]], a Soviet radar post was built on the isle (for both naval and anti-aircraft purposes).
The Soviet Union's possession of Snake Island was confirmed in the Treaty between the Government of the People's Republic of Romania and the Government of the Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics on the Romanian-Soviet State Border Regime, Collaboration and Mutual Assistance on Border Matters, signed in [[Bucharest]] on 27 February 1961.
Between 1967 and 1987, the USSR and Romanian side negotiated the delimitation of the continental shelf. The Romanian side refused to accept a Russian offer of {{cvt|4000|km2}} out of {{cvt|6000|km2}} around the island in 1987.
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Ukraine inherited control over the island. A number of Romanian parties and organizations consistently claimed it should be included in its territory. According to the Romanian side, in the peace treaties of 1918 and 1920 (after [[World War I]]), the isle was considered part of Romania, and it was not mentioned in the 1947 border-changing treaty between Romania and the [[Soviet Union]].
In 1997, Romania and Ukraine signed a treaty in which both states "reaffirm that the existing border between them is inviolable and therefore, they shall refrain, now and in future, from any attempt against the border, as well as from any demand, or act of, seizure and usurpation of part or all the territory of the Contracting Party". However, both sides have agreed that if no resolution on maritime borders can be reached within two years, then either side can go to the [[International Court of Justice]] to seek a final ruling.
In 2007, the island's only settlement Bile was founded.
In 2008, twelve Ukrainian border guards died when their helicopter flying from Odesa to Snake Island crashed, killing all but one on board.<ref name="reuters2008">[https://web.archive.org/web/20160307164930/http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-ukraine-helicopter-idUKL2768884420080327 Ukrainian helicopter crash kills 12], Reuters, 27 March 2008</ref>
Until 18 July 2020, the island belonged to [[Kiliia Raion]]. The raion was abolished in July 2020 as part of the administrative reform of Ukraine, which reduced the number of [[raion]]s of Odesa Oblast to seven. The area of Kiliia Raion was merged into Izmail Raion.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Про утворення та ліквідацію районів. Постанова Верховної Ради України № 807-ІХ.|url=http://www.golos.com.ua/article/333466|access-date=2020-10-03|date=2020-07-18|website=Голос України|language=uk}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Нові райони: карти + склад |url=https://www.minregion.gov.ua/press/news/novi-rajony-karty-sklad/ |publisher=Міністерство розвитку громад та територій України |language=Ukrainian}}</ref>
=== Russian invasion of Ukraine ===
{{Main|2022 Snake Island campaign}}
Militarily, Snake Island, {{Convert|35|km|mi}} from the coast of Ukraine, is within the range of missile, artillery, and drone strikes from the shore, and exposed to attacks from all directions from air and sea, making any garrison "sitting ducks".<ref name=lukov>{{Cite news |title=Snake Island: Why Russia couldn't hold on to strategic Black Sea outcrop |last1=Lukov |first1=Yaroslav |last2=Kirby |first2=Paul |website=BBC News |date=30 June 2022 |url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-61992491}}</ref> It is a strategically significant island in the Black Sea, and Russian control over the island would allow a total blockade of the Ukrainian port city of [[Odesa]].<ref name=lukov/>
Initially, the Ukrainian government erroneously reported that all 13 members of the garrison had died in the attack, and President Volodymyr Zelensky "[[posthumous award|posthumously]]" awarded the [[Hero of Ukraine]], Ukraine's highest award, to the 13 defenders.<ref name="BBC1" /><ref name="NYTimes1" /><ref>{{cite news |last1=Haynes |first1=Danielle |date=25 Feb 2022 |title=Slain Ukrainian guards deemed heroes for defiant stand on Snake Island |agency=UPI |url=https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2022/02/25/ukraine-ukraine-russia-snake-island-guards/5821645813244/ |access-date=26 February 2022}}</ref> The Ukrainian navy clarified later in February that the garrison were alive.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ukrainian Navy confirms Snake Island soldiers are alive, POWs |url=https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-698897 |website=jpost.com |publisher=The Jerusalem Post |date=28 February 2022 |access-date=28 February 2022 |archive-date=28 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220228172948/https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-698897 |url-status=live }}</ref> On 29 March 2022, the Defence Ministry of Ukraine posted on Twitter that the author of the famous phrase had been freed from captivity and given a medal for bravery.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ukrainian soldier who told Russian warship to 'go f*** yourself' from Snake Island gets bravery award |url=https://news.sky.com/story/ukrainian-soldier-who-told-russian-warship-to-go-f-yourself-from-snake-island-gets-bravery-award-12577763 |access-date=2022-03-30 |publisher=[[Sky News]] |language=en }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Roman Hrybov, the author of... |url=https://twitter.com/defenceu/status/1508814043213139980 |author=Defense of Ukraine |access-date=2022-03-30 |website=Twitter |language=en}}</ref> The Ukrainian Postal Service in April 2022 issued a stamp showing a Ukrainian soldier showing [[the finger]] (an offensive gesture of defiance) to the Russian ship ''Moskva''.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.npr.org/2022/04/20/1093764504/ukraine-snake-island-postage-stamp |title=Ukrainians wait in line for hours to buy commemorative Snake Island postage stamps |first=Rachel |last=Treisman |publisher=[[NPR]] |date=April 20, 2022 |access-date=May 4, 2022 }}</ref>
Ukrainian forces launched an operation to expel the Russians from Snake Island, targeting exposed Russian positions in an over four month-long campaign.<ref name=lukov/><ref name=cnnIsland>{{Cite news |author=Will Ripley |author2=Tim Lister |author3=Victoria Butenko |author4=Kostantyn Hak |date=2022-12-20 |title=On Snake Island, the rocky Black Sea outcrop that became a Ukraine war legend |language=en |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/20/europe/snake-island-russia-ukraine-return-intl/index.html |access-date=2023-06-15}}</ref> Ukrainian military sources said they carried out attacks on both the island proper and on any Russian vessels bringing troops and weapons to it.<ref name=lukov/> New Western weapons supplies to Ukraine were key to turning the tide of the campaign in Ukraine's favor, especially the [[M142 HIMARS|HIMARS]] rocket system.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Hunder |first1=Max |last2=Balmforth |first2=Tom |date=2022-06-30 |title=Russia abandons Black Sea outpost of Snake Island in victory for Ukraine |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-steps-up-attacks-ukraine-after-landmark-nato-summit-2022-06-30/ |access-date=2022-07-01}}</ref>
In late June 2022, Russian forces withdrew from the island<ref name=cnnIsland/> in what the BBC referred to as both symbolic and strategic victory for Ukraine.<ref name=lukov/><ref>{{Cite web |title=Battle for Zmiinyi (Snake) Island. Reconstructing the heroic tale of Ukraine losing and reclaiming the critical island |url=https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/articles/2022/11/7/7375232/ |access-date=2023-07-13 |website=Ukrainska Pravda |language=en}}</ref> Ukrainian sources claimed the Russians fled in two speedboats after being unable to withstand Ukrainian strikes.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-06-30 |title=Russian forces leave Snake Island, keep up eastern assault |language=en |url=https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-nato-b658d0449282dca359461eb2562a1e28 |access-date=2023-06-15}}</ref> Russia referred to the withdrawal as a "gesture of goodwill" after completing its military objectives on the island.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Минобороны объявило о выводе войск с острова Змеиный |url=https://www.rbc.ru/politics/30/06/2022/62bd60f99a794772a54cb7a8 |access-date=2022-06-30 |website=РБК |language=ru}}</ref>
On 8 July 2023 president Zelensky visited the island to commemorate Ukrainian soldiers who defended it.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Zelenskyy visits Zmiinyi (Snake) Island on 500th day of full-scale war |url=https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2023/07/8/7410407/ |access-date=2023-07-13 |website=Ukrainska Pravda |language=en}}</ref> On 13 July 2023 Russian forces dropped a single aerial bomb on the island.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Russians drop high-explosive bomb on Zmiinyi Island at dawn |url=https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2023/07/13/7411157/ |access-date=2023-07-13 |website=Ukrainska Pravda |language=en}}</ref>
==Maritime delimitation==
{{Main|Maritime Delimitation in the Black Sea case}}
[[File:Snake Island (Aug 2021).jpg|thumb|Snake Island with Ukrainian flag in August 2021]]
The status of Snake Island was important for delimitation of [[continental shelf]] and [[exclusive economic zone]]s between Romania and Ukraine. If Snake Island were recognized as an island, then [[continental shelf]] around it should be considered as Ukrainian water. If Snake Island were not an island, but an [[islet]],<ref name="Ivan2012">{{cite book|author=Ruxandra Ivan|title=New Regionalism Or No Regionalism?: Emerging Regionalism in the Black Sea Area|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sSf5Qg5RGQsC&pg=PA167|year=2012|publisher=Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.|isbn=978-1-4094-2213-6|page=167}}</ref> then in accordance with [[international law]] the [[maritime boundary]] between Romania and Ukraine should be drawn without taking into consideration the isle location.
On 4 July 2003, the [[President of Romania]] [[Ion Iliescu]] and the [[President of Russia]] [[Vladimir Putin]] signed a treaty about friendship and cooperation. Romania promised not to contest territories of Ukraine or Moldova, which it lost to the [[Soviet Union]] after [[World War II]], but requested that Russia as a successor of the Soviet Union recognized in some form its responsibility for what had happened.<ref>''[https://web.archive.org/web/20141207132714/http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/russian/russia/newsid_3044000/3044486.stm Russia and Romania: compromise on history]''. BBC Russia. 4 July 2003</ref>
On 16 September 2004, the Romanian side brought a case against Ukraine to the [[International Court of Justice]] (ICJ) in a dispute concerning the maritime boundary between the two States in the Black Sea.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.icj-cij.org/docket/files/132/1707.pdf |title=Romania brings a case against Ukraine to the Court in a dispute concerning the maritime boundary between the two States in the Black Sea |date=16 September 2004 |work=[[International Court of Justice]]  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081203072212/http://www.icj-cij.org/docket/files/132/1707.pdf |archive-date=3 December 2008}}</ref>
In 2007, Ukraine founded the small settlement of Bile on the island, which was criticized by Romania.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://romanialibera.ro/special/romania-a-demonstrat-si-cu-imagini-din-satelit-ca-insula-serpilor-nu-face-parte-din-coasta-ucrainei-133494/|title=România a demonstrat și cu imagini din satelit că Insula Șerpilor nu face parte din coasta Ucrainei|newspaper=[[România liberă]]|date=3 September 2008|language=ro}}</ref>
On 3 February 2009, the ICJ delivered its judgment, which divided the sea area of the Black Sea along a line which was between the claims of each country. The Court invoked the disproportionality test in adjudicating the dispute, noting that the ICJ, "as its jurisprudence has indicated, it may on occasion decide not to take account of very small islands or decide not to give them their full potential entitlement to maritime zones, should such an approach have a disproportionate effect on the delimitation line under consideration" and owing to a previous agreement between Ukraine and Romania, the island "should have no effect on the delimitation in this case, other than that stemming from the role of the 12-nautical-mile arc of its territorial sea" previously agreed between the parties.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.icj-cij.org/docket/files/132/14985.pdf |title=The Court establishes the single maritime boundary delimiting the continental shelf and exclusive economic zones of Romania and Ukraine |date=3 February 2009 |work=[[International Court of Justice]]  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090205045804/http://www.icj-cij.org/docket/files/132/14985.pdf |archive-date=5 February 2009}}</ref>
== See also ==
* [[Bystroye Canal]]
* [[Filfla]]
* [[Maican Island]]
* [[Romania–Ukraine relations]]
* [[Soviet Navy surface raids on Western Black Sea]]
==References and footnotes==
===Inline===
{{reflist|30em}}
===General===
{{refbegin}}
* [http://www.korrespondent.net/main/84164 Korrespondent.net: December 2003 report on Snake Island dispute], including [[aircraft|aerial]] picture of the isle {{in lang|ru}}
* [http://www.korrespondent.net/main/128437 Korrespondent.net: Maritime Delimitation as of August 2005] {{in lang|ru}}
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/romanian/news/story/2004/09/040920_insula_serpilor_banca.shtml BBC Romanian report on the bank opening] {{in lang|ro}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20040822040518/http://www.tomrad.ro/iserpi/ENGLISH.HTM Aurelian Teodorescu, "Snake Island: Between rule of law and rule of force"]: The Ostriv Zmiinyi dispute from the Romanian perspective {{in lang|ro}}
* [http://www.noteaccess.com/APPROACHES/AGW/Achilles.htm Constantine D. Kyriazis, ''Eternal Greece'']: Achilles' sanctuary
* [[Nicolae Densușianu]], [https://web.archive.org/web/20110718152407/http://www.pelasgians.bigpondhosting.com/website1/04_01.htm ''Dacia Preistorică''], 1913, I.4; Literary references to the island in Antiquity
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070504145206/http://host2.cotidianul.ro/index.php?id=1249&art=1097 Cotidianul: "OMV cauta petrol linga Insula Serpilor"] {{in lang|ro}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20051125161848/http://www.zerkalo-nedeli.com/nn/show/281/26037/ Olexandr Fomin, ''The history of Snake Island Lighthouse''], ''[[Zerkalo Nedeli]]'', 26 February 2000. {{in lang|ru}}
* [http://civicmedia.ro/acm/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=91&Itemid=1/ Civic Media, ''Ukraine and Romania in strategic war in the Black Sea''], ''[[Civic Media]]'', October 2007. {{in lang|ro}}
* [http://civicmedia.ro/acm/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=517&Itemid=1/ Civic Media, ''The natural right of Romania over the Serpent Island''], ''[[Civic Media]]'', October 2007. {{in lang|ro}}
{{refend}}
== Further reading ==
* Michael Shafir (24 August 2004) [http://www.rferl.org/content/article/1054463.html Analysis: Serpents Island, Bystraya Canal, And Ukrainian-Romanian Relations], [[RFE/RL]]
* [http://www.rferl.org/content/World_Court_Decides_Ukraine_Romania_Sea_Border_Dispute_/1378615.html World Court Decides Ukraine-Romania Sea Border Dispute], [[RFE/RL]] News, 3 February 2009
* {{cite book|editor1=Myron H. Nordquist |editor2=John Norton Moore |editor3=Alfred H.A. Soons |editor4=Hak-So Kim|title=The Law of the Sea Convention: US Accession and Globalization|year=2012|publisher=[[Martinus Nijhoff Publishers]]|isbn=978-90-04-20136-1|chapter=Islands or Rocks, Is that the Real Question? The Treatment of Island in the Delimitation of Maritime Boundaries|author=Clive Schofield|pages=322–340}}
{{Commons category|Snake Island (Black Sea)}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Snake Island (Ukraine)| ]]
[[Category:Islands of the Black Sea]]
[[Category:Islands of Ukraine]]
[[Category:Foreign relations of Romania]]
[[Category:Foreign relations of Ukraine]]
[[Category:Romania–Soviet Union relations]]
[[Category:Romania–Ukraine relations]]
[[Category:Geography of Izmail Raion]]
[[Category:Landforms of Odesa Oblast]]
[[Category:Romania–Ukraine border]]
[[Category:Odesa University]]
[[Category:Naval battles of World War II involving the Soviet Union]]
[[Category:Naval battles of World War II involving Romania]]
[[Category:Naval battles of World War II involving Germany]]
[[Category:Military history of the Black Sea]]
[[Category:Achilles]]
[[Category:Vylkove urban hromada]]