Russian Forces Withdraw From Strategic Snake Island, Ukraine Says

Russian forces retreated from Zmiinyi (Snake) Island in the Black Sea — which sits on a key shipping lane — after repeated attacks by Ukraine, Ukrainian officials said. 

Snake Island was captured by Russian forces in late February; it gained international fame when Ukrainian troops stationed there refused to surrender, saying, “Russian warship, go f--- yourself!” The island sits about 20 miles off the coast of Ukraine's southern Odesa Oblast, as well as about 20 miles east of the Romanian coast. 

British intelligence reportedly attributed Ukraine’s victory partially to “new weapons supplies by the West.” While Russia’s Defense Ministry called the retreat a “gesture of goodwill,” Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander in Chief Valeriy Zaluzhny said the “occupiers” were “unable to withstand the fire of our artillery, missile and air strikes.” 

Coverage was widespread and generally balanced across the spectrum on Thursday morning. While some outlets like Reuters (Center) called the retreat a “major victory” for Ukraine, others like The Washington Post (Lean Left bias) called it a “small but strategic win.”