Ostriv Velykyi Potomkin (), also known as Ostrov Bol’shoy Potëmkin () and Potemkin Island, is a

river island River Island is a London-based, multi-channel fashion brand, founded in 1948 by Bernard Lewis. The retailer has a presence in over 125 of worldwide markets, in stores and online. Best known for its trend focused womenswear offering, River Isl ...

located within the Dnipro river in the of

Kherson Raion Kherson Raion ( uk, Херсонський район, russian: Херсонский район) is a raion (district) of Kherson Oblast, Ukraine. It was created in July 2020 as part of the reform of administrative divisions of Ukraine. The cente ...

of Kherson oblast of

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

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, Ostriv Velykyi Potomkin had strategic significance for the

Kyivan Rus' Kievan Rusʹ, also known as Kyivan Rusʹ ( orv, , Rusĭ, or , , ; Old Norse: ''Garðaríki''), was a state in Eastern and Northern Europe from the late 9th to the mid-13th century.John Channon & Robert Hudson, ''Penguin Historical Atlas of ...

, who established settlements on it and used it as their primary

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Rom ...

port. Some historians believe that the historical city of was located on the island, whereas others believe it was closer to modern

Oleshky Oleshky ( uk, Оле́шки, Oleshky, ; russian: Алёшки) is a town in Kherson Raion, Kherson Oblast, southern Ukraine, located on the left bank of the Dnieper River with the town of Solontsi to the south. It is the oldest city of the obl ...

. 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. ...

, Ostriv Velykyi Potomkin came under Russian occupation in the early period of the conflict as a result of the

Southern Ukraine campaign The southern Ukraine campaign is an ongoing theatre of operation in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine which began on 24 February 2022. From their base in Russian-occupied Crimea, the Russian Armed Forces attacked Kherson Oblast, Mykolai ...

. 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 ...

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, 25th Spetsnaz Regiment, and 4th BARS Special Combat Army Reserve, 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 The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine ( uk, Генеральний штаб Збройних сил України) is the military staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It is the central organ of the Armed Forces Administration and o ...

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