- Joined
- Nov 27, 2021
Nah, according to Ukrainian sources that's the regular garrison on the island since 2007, it's that size mainly due to the fact Romania tried to annex it in the 90s when it was discovered that it was sitting on top of a shitload of natural gas,I could see them being marines since I would imagine that you'd need some actual infantry there if the position is to be used to intercept and search ships and the like. 80 seems like an overstatement though. If I had to guess, they probably had like one platoon there with 40-50 marines who worked on rotation with other marine platoons, and then a semi-permanent force of 13 border patrol personnel. Basically something like this.
A ship comes in once a month with supplies and a fresh platoon
Takes relieved platoon back to port
Border patrol personnel come and go regularly on a small skiff

Maritime Delimitation in the Black Sea case - Wikipedia
Because of its location, Snake Island affected the maritime boundary between the two countries. If Snake Island was an island, its continental shelf area would be considered Ukrainian waters. If it was an islet, in accordance with international law, the maritime boundary between Romania and Ukraine would not take it into consideration. Romania claimed that Ukraine was developing Snake Island to prove it was an island, rather than an islet