Island of Heroes. Snake Island in Myth, War and Philately

On 7 July 2022, the State Flag of Ukraine was raised over Snake Island once again. It marked the end of one of the most complex military operations of the first months of Russia's full-scale invasion. Over the course of several weeks, Ukraine's Defence Forces systematically destroyed Russian air defence systems, military equipment, supply vessels and the island's garrison. Unable to maintain their position under constant attacks, Russian troops were forced to withdraw.

The campaign became one of Ukraine's first successful multi-domain operations, combining the efforts of the Navy, the Air Force, military intelligence, Special Operations Forces, artillery and unmanned aerial systems. One of its most remarkable episodes was the combat debut of Ukraine's 2S22 Bohdana 155 mm self-propelled howitzer. Since the island lay beyond the range of land-based artillery, the prototype gun was mounted on a barge, allowing Ukrainian forces to strike Russian positions. Such unconventional solutions became one of the key factors behind the operation's success.

The liberation of Snake Island was strategically significant. It not only removed the threat to maritime routes leading to Odesa and the Danube Delta but also prevented Russia from establishing full control over the northwestern Black Sea.

Achilles' White Island

The "snake" in Snake Island's name appeared only in the thirteenth century. In antiquity, the island was known as Λευκή (Leuke) — White Island.

The historian and geographer Flavius Arrian (c. AD 69–170) associated the name with the island's pale cliffs. Modern researchers suggest that from the sea the island may also have appeared white because of its large seabird colonies and the layers of guano covering the rocks. At the same time, in ancient Greek culture white symbolized light, purity and immortality, making the name entirely consistent with the island's sacred status.

Leuke became one of the most important cult sites in the ancient Black Sea region. According to the lost epic Aethiopis, known today through later authors, the sea nymph Thetis carried her son Achilles to Leuke after his death in the Trojan War, where the hero—or his immortal spirit—found eternal rest.

Ancient writers including Arrian, Pausanias, Pliny the Elder, Strabo and Ovid described the Temple of Achilles, where sailors offered gifts—often coins—and prayed for safe voyages. Archaeologists have uncovered Greek and Latin dedicatory inscriptions, skyphoi, bowls, drinking cups, black-glazed pottery, nearly 2,000 ancient coins, and the remains of the Temple of Achilles, originally built in the 6th century BC.

Unfortunately, much of the temple's foundation was dismantled in the nineteenth century to build the island's lighthouse, which still stands today. The lighthouse itself was designed by the English architect Charles Ackroyd.

Birds, Snakes and the Greeks

Ancient Greek sailors travelled from island to island, anchoring to replenish their freshwater supplies. The Black Sea, however, offered few islands, and rocky Leuke had no natural spring.

Even so, ships continued to call there from the 8th century BC until nearly modern times, drawn by the sanctuary of Achilles. Around Snake Island, underwater archaeologists have documented one of the oldest known anchorages in the Black Sea, where numerous stone and iron anchors have been found. Interestingly, the familiar anchor shape known today appeared only in the Middle Ages—early anchors were little more than carefully shaped stone weights.

Despite covering just 17 hectares, Snake Island is of exceptional ecological importance.

Its greatest natural treasure is its birdlife. The island lies on one of the principal migration routes between Europe and Africa, and every spring and autumn thousands of migratory birds stop there. In different years researchers have recorded 230 bird species—more than half of all bird species found in Ukraine—including many rare and protected species.

And what about the snakes?

The island's modern name derives from the later Greek Fidonisi, meaning "Snake Island." The dice snake (Natrix tessellata) likely inhabited the island. This species thrives in the brackish waters of the northwestern Black Sea. In the early twentieth century, the local population was even described as a distinct subspecies, although this classification has since been revised.

The snakes most likely reached the island on floating logs and reed mats carried downstream by the Danube, whose delta lies only 38 kilometres to the west. Because the surrounding waters are diluted by freshwater flowing from the Danube, they are less saline than the open Black Sea, providing suitable conditions for the snakes to hunt fish. Fortunately, dice snakes do not normally feed on bird eggs, allowing them to coexist peacefully with the island's large seabird colonies.

Snake Island and International Law

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Ukraine and Romania became involved in a dispute over the maritime boundary surrounding Snake Island.

Ukraine argued that Snake Island was a genuine inhabited island, complete with the settlement of Bile (whose name, interestingly, also means "white" in Ukrainian), a lighthouse and permanent infrastructure, and therefore should generate its own continental shelf and exclusive economic zone. Romania maintained that it should be treated merely as a rock, with little effect on the maritime boundary, which determined access to promising offshore oil and natural gas reserves.

On 3 February 2009, the International Court of Justice confirmed Ukraine's sovereignty over Snake Island and its territorial waters but drew the maritime boundary in such a way that approximately 79% of the disputed maritime area was awarded to Romania.

Five years later Romania commemorated the ruling by issuing the postage stamp "Marea Neagră. Istorie rescrisă" ("The Black Sea. History Rewritten"), dedicated to the Hague judgment. Even in the twenty-first century, postage stamps remain powerful instruments of public communication.

Snake Island in Philately and Numismatics

Romania was not the only country to depict Snake Island on postage stamps. Ukrainian philately has returned to the island on several occasions.

In 2020, Snake Island Lighthouse appeared in the issue of the Lighthouses of Ukraine series. Following the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, the island became the birthplace of one of the defining phrases of Ukraine's resistance, inspiring the world-famous stamp "Russian warship, go...!"

Today that story continues with the new set of illustrated envelopes "Russian warship... all gone!", issued to mark the anniversary of the island's liberation.

Snake Island has also appeared in numismatics. In the United States, the private White House Gift Shop released the Snake Island Valor Coin, dedicated to the defenders of the island. Despite its name, it is not an official U.S. government coin but a commemorative medal produced by the privately operated retailer.

An Island of Heroes

The ancient Greeks believed that Achilles attained immortality on Leuke. Today, Snake Island has once again become an island of heroes.

It was here that the words which became one of the defining symbols of Ukraine's resistance were first spoken. It was here that one of the most remarkable naval operations of the first months of the full-scale war reached its conclusion. And it is here, on a tiny rocky island in the middle of the Black Sea, that mythology, history, nature, international law and collective memory have intersected for more than two thousand years.

Places do not become symbols because of their size, but because of the people who defend them.