Romania welcomes the fact that Russian forces have withdrawn from the Snake Island, which returned under the control of Ukraine, the Secretary of State for Defense Policy, Planning and International Relations, Simona Cojocaru, stated on July 1, during the "Black Sea Security Summit" round table, Agerpres reported.

The rock, close to Romania's territorial waters, has served as an advanced camp for the Russian army over the past weeks, after the war in Ukraine began in February.

"In the early days of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, one of Russia's first goals was to conquer Snake Island, located 25 miles off the Romanian coast. The Snake Island has a strategic role in the region. We are pleased that, according to the latest information, the island is back in the hands of Ukraine," she said.

Units of the Ukrainian Army announced on July 2 that they had completed the operation to clean the Snake Island of equipment and weapons left behind by Russian troops after their withdrawal from Crimea, the regional military administration in Odesa.

(Photo: Lesik Aleksandr | Dreamstime.com)

andrei@romania-insider.com