Ostriv Velykyi Potomkin (), also known as Ostrov Bol’shoy Potëmkin () and Potemkin Island, is a river island located within the

Dnipro river } The Dnieper () or Dnipro (); , ; . is one of the major transboundary rivers of Europe, rising in the Valdai Hills near Smolensk, Russia, before flowing through Belarus and Ukraine to the Black Sea. It is the longest river of Ukraine and B ...

in the of Kherson Raion of

Kherson oblast Kherson Oblast ( uk, Херсо́нська о́бласть, translit=Khersónsʹka óblastʹ, ), also known as Khersonshchyna ( uk, Херсо́нщина, ), is an oblast (province) in southern Ukraine, currently claimed and partly occupied ...

of Ukraine.

Geography

Ostriv Velykyi Potomkin is located within the Dnipro River as a river island. Two small lakes known as Lake Zakitne and Lake Nazarove-Pohorile are contained within the island.

History

Being located along the historic

Route from the Varangians to the Greeks The trade route from the Varangians to the Greeks was a medieval trade route that connected Scandinavia, Kievan Rus' and the Eastern Roman Empire. The route allowed merchants along its length to establish a direct prosperous trade with the Empir ...

, Ostriv Velykyi Potomkin had strategic significance for the Kyivan Rus', who established settlements on it and used it as their primary Black Sea port. Some historians believe that the historical city of was located on the island, whereas others believe it was closer to modern Oleshky. Regardless of which view is correct, archaeological excavations have found evidence of the island's settlement during the period of the Kyivan Rus'.

Russian Invasion of Ukraine

Following the

2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...

, Ostriv Velykyi Potomkin came under Russian occupation in the early period of the conflict as a result of the Southern Ukraine campaign. During the

2022 Ukrainian southern counteroffensive A military counteroffensive was launched by Ukraine on 29 August 2022 to expel Russian forces occupying the southern regions of Kherson and Mykolaiv oblasts. Military analysts consider the counteroffensive to be the third strategic phase of th ...

in November, it returned to Ukrainian control along with the nearby regional capital of Kherson. Due to its position on the front line in Southern Ukraine, it was constantly shelled by Russian forces, prompting Ukraine to announce the evacuation of civilians from the island on 3 December, although due to weather conditions this did not materialize. Some Ukrainian officials, such as presidential advisor Oleksii Arestovych and Lieutenant Colonel Konstiantyn Mashovets, as well as some unofficial Russian sources, claimed on 9 December that Russian forces, specifically the

80th Arctic Motor Rifle Brigade The 80th Separate Arctic Motor Rifle Brigade ''(80-я отдельная мотострелковая бригада)'' (Military Unit Number: 34667) is a specialist Cold-weather warfare, arctic warfare formation of the Coastal Troops of the Russia ...

, 25th Spetsnaz Regiment, and 4th BARS

Special Combat Army Reserve BARS or Combat Army Reserve of the Country (russian: Боевой Армейский Резерв Страны - БАРС) is a Russian military reserve force implemented since 2021. BARS troops have been used in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukrain ...

, had re-occupied the island following a successful amphibious operation. However, this was contested by , advisor to the governor of Kherson, who stated that Russia did not have any presence on the island. Contradicting Khlan, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces claimed on 15 December that Russia had begun forcibly deporting civilians from Ostriv Velykyi Potomkin, affirming that Russian forces controlled the island. On 2 January 2023, Ukrainian sources, including member of the Ukrainian parliament Oleksii Honcharenko, claimed that some or all of the island had been recaptured by Ukraine, and a video soon appeared online showing Ukrainian forces present in its northeastern portion. This news was disputed by Russian sources, and was not officially confirmed by the Ukrainian government, with Serhii Khlan saying that such information existed but could not be confirmed. Footage was published showing Russian forces operating in nearby parts of the river delta, and a Russian military blogger claimed the island remained contested. On 3 January 2023 , head of the Joint Press Center of the Defense Forces of the South of Ukraine, called talk of the island's capture from Russia premature and stated that such announcements were harmful. Yevhen Yerin, head of the Joint Press Center of the Defense Forces in the Tavria direction, stated on 4 January 2023 that Ostriv Velykyi Potomkin remained in a grey zone, being controlled by neither side. He added that it was unlikely Ukraine would be able to establish full control over the island before gaining control of east-bank Kherson.

References

{{Reflist Archaeological sites in Ukraine River islands of Ukraine Islands of the Dnieper Geography of Kherson Oblast