A picture taken Sunday by Maxar Technologies shows damage to some buildings from Russian military strikes, as well as a Russian warship anchored in the Black Sea. He backs reports from the start of the Russian invasion that the island came under attack after its Ukrainian garrison rejected Russian demands for surrender.
All Ukrainian military personnel were killed — and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said they would “be given the title of Hero of Ukraine posthumously” — but the Ukrainian military later said they were “alive and well” and taken prisoner.
According to the Ukrainian Navy, the garrison on the island repelled two attacks by Russian troops, but was eventually forced to surrender “due to lack of ammunition.”
The Ukrainian statement said Russian attackers destroyed the island’s infrastructure, including lighthouses, towers and antennas – part of the damage that can now be seen in a new satellite image.
The image shows that some of the red-roofed buildings in the center of the island were badly damaged by Russian artillery fire. Although part of the island is covered in snow, impact craters can be seen on the island.
The ship seen on the high seas was identified by Maksar as a Ropucha-class landing craft.
Serpent’s Island, also known as Serpent’s Island, is about 30 miles (48 km) from the southern tip of mainland Ukraine in the northwestern Black Sea. It’s about 185 miles west of Crimea, Ukrainian territory annexed by Russia in 2014.
Although it is only about 46 acres (18 hectares), last year’s report by the independent Atlantic Council think tank called it “a key element of Ukraine’s maritime territorial claims” in the Black Sea.
Highlighting its strategic importance, Zelenskiy last year chose Serpent Island as the location for an interview with Ukrainian media ahead of the summit to try to reverse Russia’s annexation of Crimea, the Atlantic Council report said.