Russia has announced that it will withdraw from the hotly contested Ormön in the Black Sea.
The withdrawal opens up to be able to transport the thousands of tons of grain that were stuck in Ukraine due to the war.
According to the Ukrainian military, the Russians have now left the island after being attacked during the night by robots and artillery shelling.
- Kaboom!
No more Russian forces on Ormön, writes Ukrainian government adviser Andrij Jermak on Twitter.
Ukrainian military: "The area is completely liberated"
Ormön is a strategically important place in the Black Sea and was quickly occupied by Russian forces during the first days of the war.
The island is directly adjacent to the port city of Odessa and other important export ports in the Black Sea.
Ukraine and the West have previously criticized Russia for blocking the gates for grain exports, thus contributing to a global food crisis.
The Russian occupation government in southern Ukraine now states that 7,000 tonnes of grain have left the port of Berdyansk, between Mariupol and Melitopol, but the information has not yet been confirmed by any independent party.
"The withdrawal is intended to show that Moscow is not hindering the UN's efforts to establish a humanitarian corridor for the export of agricultural products from Ukraine," said Igor Konashenov, a spokesman for the Russian Ministry of Defense.
However, the Ukrainian military says the withdrawal is a direct consequence of intense artillery and missile attacks.
"The Odessa region is now completely liberated," Ukrainian forces said on social media.
Smoke curtain rests over the island
On Thursday, Ukrainian forces reported that the island was still engulfed in heavy smoke as a result of continued explosions.
According to Natalia Humenyuk, head of security and defense in southern Ukraine, Russian forces have been seen leaving the island, but it is not yet known if they may have left diversion tools at the site.
- We must monitor their ship groups and how they continue to use their forces.
It is too early for us to form an outpost on the island, we must finish our investigation of the current situation first, she says.
Johnson: "Impossible for Putin to conquer"
At the NATO summit in Madrid this week, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson declared that the Russian retreat is a sign that Ukraine will emerge victorious from the war.
"In the end, it will be impossible for Putin to conquer a country whose people do not agree to be occupied," he said.
If you place radar and air defense systems on the mythical Ormön, you dominate the airspace in the northern Black Sea, including the strategically important entrance to Odessa.
Photo: TT