Ukrainian intelligence found a weapon left by Russian servicemen on Zmeiny Island – and a cat. This was reported by the Main Directorate of Intelligence (GUR) of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine in the Telegram channel.
The cat, who "lived for several months in the occupation", was evacuated to the territory controlled by Ukraine. There is no word on his condition.
During the operation, the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense performed engineering work to clear the island. The officers also found Russian guidance and control systems, Orlan-10 UAVs, MANPADS systems, grenade launchers, flamethrowers, small arms, combat logs, personal documents of the Russian military and electronic media. The Ukrainian flag was installed on the island.
On June 30, Ukraine launched strikes on Snake Island in the Black Sea, after which the Russian Defense Ministry announced that the Russian military "as a step of goodwill" had completed the "implementation of the assigned tasks" and withdrew the garrison stationed there. The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation wanted to “expose the fake” about the surrender of Zmeiny, but only confirmed the data about the victory of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the island. In its Telegram channel, the agency reposted a message from the “War on Fake” channel with information that Russian troops left Zmeiny Island, “unable to withstand the attacks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.” An unknown author tried to refute the message, writing that "it is difficult to keep the island in conditions of open confrontation" and "the decision was made to remove the garrison from the island in order to avoid losses."
Military-political expert Yuri Fedorov told The Insider that Russia's claim is "obvious lies and hypocrisy" because there was no act of "good will" when leaving the island. He explained that the Russian Armed Forces left Zmeiny due to the supply of Western weapons to Ukraine, including American HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems.
In the days leading up to the "goodwill move," Russia also recognized the importance of maintaining control of Zmein as a strategically important site. Thus, State Duma deputy and former commander of the 58th Army, ex-deputy commander of the troops of the Southern Military District Andrey Gurulev published a text entitled "On the heroism of our soldiers in the defense of Snake Island." In addition, on June 22, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Defense Committee Yuri Shvytkin, in a conversation with Lenta.ru, listed the points on which the island is important. According to him, Serpentine is the main strategic object in the Black Sea, since not a single ship from Bulgaria, Romania, Poland and any other country will pass by the island.
