Examples of environmental harm in Ukraine | return to map
Name: Zmiiny (Snake) Island
Location: Odesa region, Black Sea
CEOBS database ID: 10553
Context
Snake, Serpent or Zmiiny Island lies in the Black Sea, 38 km east of the Danube Delta. The small island is just 650 m across at its widest point, and fringed by steep rocky cliffs. Its position and isolation have made it both a historically strategic location and also an ecological haven. The island and surrounding waters are a designated Marine Protected Area (MPA) of national significance, with many species listed in Ukraine’s Red Book. Prior to February 2022 there were military barracks for 50 soldiers, residential buildings, power generators, three fuel storage facilities, warehouses and two jetties.
Timeline of key incidents
The island became a key strategic object in the battle for the Black Sea, with intense battles for control between the 24th February and the 7th July 2022.
24th February 2022
The island was attacked by warships and aircraft and then stormed by landing groups in the face of resistance. Following the island’s capture, occupying forces built new military installations, trenches and fortifications, and took delivery of military equipment, ammunition, fuel and generators from Crimea.
26th April – 7th May 2022
From late April, naval conflict intensified; this included the sinking of the Russian guided missile cruiser the Moskva nearby. Missile, drone and aircraft attacks sank assault boats, destroyed a helicopter and anti-aircraft complexes, telecommunications equipment and buildings, and prevented the replenishment of occupying forces. Landing boats were also sunk during the attacks.
17th June – 7th July 2022,
A second round of attacks ultimately resulted in occupying forces retreating from the island on the 30th of June, following further destruction of the garrison and radar air defence systems, as well as the sinking of a tug boat carrying ammunition. A SU-24 aircraft also crashed and sank and abandoned equipment was destroyed, potentially releasing white phosphorus. Occupyng forces lost or abandoned 22 pieces of military equipment. The evacuation was likely hastened by nearby attacks on offshore gas platforms. The island was liberated on the 7th July.
Damage assessment
Between April and June 2022, attacks using a range of platforms destroyed every facility on the island, including ammunition and fuel storage facilities, power generators and a large number of military vehicles. A system of around 30 revetments and trenches was built. Ammunition and fuel-carrying military ships were sunk inside or near ecologically sensitive areas.
Environmental harm assessment
The landscape and habitats of Zmiiny Island have suffered considerable damage. Soil contamination is anticipated to be complex, and likely includes munitions residues, fuel and lubricants from destroyed hardware and storage tanks and large volumes of debris and litter. Fires that burned throughout May and June 2022 caused physical damage to soils and to fauna and flora, which were also damaged by the widespread cratering and earthworks. There is a debris and waste management challenge given the distance and risk of moving material to an appropriate disposal facility. Sea-dumping of waste must be avoided.
Either through rainfall-induced surface run-off or wind-blown resuspension, much of the contamination on the land will reach the shallow waters around the island combining with contamination from sunken boats and aircraft and munitions residues. The marine environment is expected to have also suffered acoustic pollution from the many explosions and naval activities.
Taken together, the fighting and subsequent land and marine pollution is likely to have had a very significant impact on the ecosystem of Zmiiny MPA.
Longer-term implications
Any natural recovery on and around the island will be difficult to track given the presumed destruction of the ecology research station. Staff at the station used to track the high numbers of migratory birds that used the island. The island’s isolation means that recovery of its steppe grasslands is not guaranteed, especially without intervention.
A further threat arises from the presence of unexploded ordnance, which presents a fire hazard and obstacle to access for restoration activities.
Dis/mis-information watch
The island has featured heavily in the information war, with claims and counterclaims on the military losses. Even before the full-scale invasion Russian propaganda claimed the island was going to be used as a NATO base. Russian forces subsequently marked the island with the giant Z symbol of their invasion. The defence of the island became iconic, and Ukraine’s President Zelensky even visited in July 2023.
External resources
ЯКОЮ МАЄ БУТИ ДОЛЯ ОСТРОВА ЗМІЇНИЙ? | UNCG
Visit to Snake Island | CNN
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