Ukraine reclaims Snake Is.

Russ troops flee

Invading Russian troops were forced to flee the strategic Black Sea outpost of Snake Island on speedboats Thursday, in a major victory for Ukraine.

Snake Island, which Russia seized on the first day of its invasion, made international headlines after Ukrainian border guards stationed there told an invading Russian warship to “go f--k yourself.”

“KABOOM! No Russian troops on the Snake Island anymore. Our Armed Forces did a great job,” Andriy Yermak, head of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s office, tweeted.

Ukraine’s southern military command insisted that Russian forces had evacuated the strategic outpost on 40 acres of rock in two speedboats after a sustained Ukrainian operation involving missile and artillery units.

Russia confirmed the withdrawal but claimed it was a “goodwill gesture” because troops had fulfilled their assigned tasks.

Not verifiable

The Russian ministry added that the move showed Russia wasn’t impeding United Nations efforts to organize a humanitarian corridor to export grain and agriculture. Neither nation’s account could immediately be verified.

It comes after Ukraine’s southern military command revealed last week it had dealt a “significant” blow to Russian troops by destroying the Kremlin’s air defenses and radar systems on the island.

But Russian authorities dismissed those claims, insisting that its air defenses on the island had repelled Ukrainian forces.

Snake Island — a strategic outpost on just 40 acres of rock — gained notoriety in the opening hours of the war on Feb. 24 when an audio clip emerged of the exchange between Ukrainian and Russian forces.