PHOTOS: SNAKE ISLAND BACK IN UKRAINIAN HANDS

The Battle of Snake Island has been a minor but important victory for the Ukrainian armed forces. In the early days of the war, the Kremlin forces took it as a precursor to a possible amphibious attack on Ukraine's business capital of Odessa, and, when that idea was scrapped, it became an important position blocking sea routes to the Ukraine. But when Ukrainian howitzers were able reach the island, which lies 35 km off shore, the Kremlin's troops were forced to retreat. As these pictures show, Ukrainian forces have now made a tentative return to the island.