FACTBOX-Ukraine retakes Snake Island from Russian forces

Russian forces have withdrawn from Snake Island in the Black Sea in a move Ukraine hailed as a victory and Russia said showed Moscow was not seeking to hinder United Nations' efforts to organise a corridor for the export of Ukrainian farm produce.

Russian forces have withdrawn from Snake Island in the Black Sea in a move Ukraine hailed as a victory and Russia said showed Moscow was not seeking to hinder the United Nations' efforts to organise a corridor for the export of Ukrainian farm produce. Below are some facts about the island and its strategic importance.

BATTLE FOR BLACK SEA A rocky outcrop about 35 km (22 miles) off the southwestern tip of Ukraine, Snake Island sits near the Danube delta and close to the sea border with Romania, a NATO member. It has strategic value for the control of the northwestern Black Sea, its coastal cities, and shipping routes that form part of the world's grain supply chain.

Russia's withdrawal may ease its blockade on Ukrainian exports that feed some of the world's poorest countries. ACHILLES AND THE TROJAN WAR

Stories about the island stretch back millennia to the ancient Greeks' mythological Trojan war. It has a long association with Achilles, the great warrior in Greek myth considered invincible but for one vulnerable spot on his heel. UKRAINIAN DEFIANCE

Covering just 0.17 square kilometres (0.06 square miles), about the size of 20 soccer pitches, Snake Island achieved worldwide fame in the first hours of Russia's Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine when border guards stationed there rejected a Russian warship's demand for their surrender. "Russian warship, go fuck yourself," one soldier was recorded as saying. That incident was immortalised on a Ukrainian postage stamp. The day the stamp was issued, Ukraine sank that same vessel, the 'Moskva', which had been the flagship of Russia's Black Sea fleet.

RUSSIA'S SLIPPING HOLD Last month Britain's defence ministry said that if Russia were able to consolidate its grip on Snake Island with air defence and coastal defence cruise missiles, it could dominate the northwestern Black Sea.

Russia had defended the island since February, but Ukraine increasingly claimed to inflict severe damage, sinking supply vessels and destroying Russian fortifications. DISPUTE WITH ROMANIA

The International Court of Justice drew a new maritime border between Romania and Ukraine in 2009 to settle a dispute focused around Snake Island over parts of the Black Sea believed to hold significant oil and gas reserves. At the time, Ukraine said Snake Island was inhabited and economically active, home to around 100 people including military personnel, lighthouse keepers, scientists and their families.