BEHEAD THE SNAKE
Moment Ukrainian special forces storm Snake Island in unseen Call Of Duty-style vid on 2nd anniversary of its liberation
The dramatic clip shows elite troops leaping from choppers and exchanging fire with Russian occupiers
A DRAMATIC previously unseen video shows the moment Ukrainian special forces stormed a strategic island to snatch it back from Russia.
The Call of Duty video game-style footage was released by the Ukrainian Secret Services to mark the second anniversary of its liberation of Snake Island in the Black Sea.
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In the video, the island is seen being hit by aerial bombs before an assault by helicopters.
Headcam footage sees Ukraine's SBU forces leap from the choppers and exchange fire with Russian troops.
The liberation of the remote but strategically important island, gave a huge lift to Ukrainian resistance.
The operation triggered Russia’s retreat from the Black Sea outpost.
Russian forces claimed they had retreated in a “gesture of goodwill” but in fact had been forced to leave.
The final liberation was on June 30, 2022, and there are Russian claims that this assault was a May 7 precursor to the final liberation.
The Kyiv Independent stated: “Occupying Snake Island effectively allowed Russian forces to launch a blockade of Odesa's Black Sea ports and direct missile attacks against Ukraine until 14 April 2022, when Ukraine successfully sank the Mosvka, the flagship of Russia's Black Sea Fleet.”
The Slava-class missile cruiser Moskva was in service on-and-off for almost 40 years.
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As well as being the biggest loss since the Belgrano, she was also the largest naval asset to be sunk since World War 2.
At least two of the missiles were reported to have struck the ship - causing a massive explosion and inferno as they are believed to have detonated one of Moskova's exposed deckside missile tubes.
Snake - or Zmiyinyi - Island in the Black Sea hit the headlines at the start of the war when heroic defenders famously radioed an approaching Russian cruiser, telling those on the warship to "Go f*** yourself”.
The defiant phrase became something of a Ukrainian national slogan, appearing on posters, T-shirts and even a postage stamp.
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Nineteen heroic Ukrainian defenders of Snake Island were liberated on May 31 in a prisoner of war exchange with Russia after they spent 800 days in Russian captivity.
Incredible pictures from the reunion scene show them covered in Ukrainian flags as they held their heads high while receiving a hero's welcome.
The strategic rock outcrop was visited by Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky after its liberation.
The SBU said the Snake Island operation was "unique and extremely important”.
Ukraine has also deployed a series of drones in the battle to dominate the Black Sea.
It was an initial phase in one of the key Ukrainian successes of the war - to limit Russian naval operations in the western sector of the Black Sea.
Ukraine has reportedly unleashed a kamikaze drone strike on Russia's Black Sea Fleet in Crimea as Putin's invasion continues to stall.
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Footage shared on social media appears to show huge plumes of black smoke rising from the base in Sevastopol as tourists watched on in horror.
It's understood the naval HQ suffered a direct hit as a drone exploded on the roof while terrified Russian tourists fled the popular summer peninsula.
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