Ukrainian flag on the Kinburn Spit: chronicle of occupation and struggle for liberation.

On August 12, 2024, fighters from the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense raised the flag of Ukraine on the Kinburn Spit, but the territory of the spit remains under Russian occupation. «Glavkom» compiled a chronology of all the important events that took place on the spit over the past two years.

The Kinburn Spit is located in the Mykolaiv region near Ochakiv. During the Russo-Ukrainian War, in the spring of 2022, Russian troops occupied the spit to block movement from the ports of Kherson and Mykolaiv and shelled Ochakiv. During the counteroffensive of the AFU in November 2022, the Kinburn Spit remained the only part of the Mykolaiv region occupied by the Russians.

Russian troops constantly bombarded the Ukrainian naval forces in Ochakiv. If these statements by Russia are true, control over the Kinburn Spit near Ochakiv would allow Russian troops to strengthen control over the northwestern coast of the Black Sea», – said a report from the Institute for the Study of War in June 2022.

The Kinburn Spit before and after the full-scale invasion

The territory of the spit belongs to the Black Sea Biosphere Reserve. So before the great war, this place was famous for its rare birds, untouched nature, the difficult road along the island itself, and the silence, which was disturbed only by the noise of the sea and birds.

The Kinburn Spit was occupied in the spring of 2022, where the occupiers immediately brought equipment to shell Ukrainian cities, particularly the resort town of Ochakiv.

In November 2022, during the counteroffensive of the AFU, the military liberated the entire territory of the Mykolaiv region from the occupiers, except for the Kinburn Spit, said the head of the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration Vitaliy Kim.

In April 2023, Kim stated that there was no communication with residents of the temporarily occupied Kinburn Spit.

«The situation on the Kinburn Spit, which is still under occupation, is difficult, but we cannot communicate with the people living there to determine the exact state of affairs. Therefore, we monitor the situation using satellite imagery. Indirectly, I can say that the situation there improves when the shelling of Ochakiv decreases. Our AFU is working, and they have successes», – said Kim.

The former head of the joint press center of the Defense Forces of southern Ukraine, Natalia Humeniuk, at the end of 2023, said that «the enemy has long since mined the settlements around the perimeter to prevent the local population from leaving».

«The enemy continues to use the local population as a human shield, hiding behind them, literally placing artillery crews in the yards of local residents, and shelling the opposite shore, Ochakivska and Kutsurubska communities, to occasionally terrorize Mykolaiv region and divert the attention of the Defense Forces», – said Humeniuk.

AFU operations on the Kinburn Spit

Since the spit was occupied by Russian troops, Ukrainian armed forces have been actively striking Russian positions on the spit.

On January 18, 2023, the destruction of enemy vehicle equipment and up to 10 Russians was confirmed. At that Time, Natalia Humeniuk noted on a television marathon that the enemy occasionally occupies positions on the Kinburn Spit to attack the Ochakiv direction.

In March 2023, Ukrainian defenders destroyed a multiple rocket launcher system, an artillery gun, and an ammunition depot of Russian occupiers on the Kinburn Spit in the Mykolaiv region. This was reported by the press service of OP «South».

On August 9, 2024, during a raid on the Russian-occupied Kinburn Spit, special forces of the GUR destroyed six units of enemy armored equipment and neutralized about 30 invaders. During the mission near the «Suvorov Monument», the GUR soldiers installed a battle flag of the Military Intelligence of Ukraine.

On August 12, fighters from the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense again raised the flag of Ukraine on the Kinburn Spit.

Destruction of the Kakhovka HPP and the consequences of Russian occupation for the flora and fauna of the spit

In early June 2023, the spit temporarily became an island due to the destruction of the Kakhovka HPP by Russian occupation forces and the subsequent flooding of the banks of the Dnipro downstream.

Significant damage to the nature of the spit and peninsula was caused by forest fires as a result of military actions. The fires threatened the destruction of 465 species of unique plants and medicinal herbs of the peninsula, including the largest wild orchid field in Europe, covering about 60 hectares, which is listed in the Red Book. Unique pink lakes, thousands of animals, and birds were also affected, including some Red Book species.

In total, 253 fires have already been recorded on the Kinburn Spit since the start of the full-scale war. This was reported on July 10 by the head of the Department of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Mykolaiv region.