The Ukrainian War’s defiant Snake Island Incident is immortalised on Carpathian Mint’s latest silver coin

The war in Ukraine rages on to the 700-day mark, with little movement by either side of late, but it remains the defenders of Ukraine that have captured the attention of the world. With initial talk of the country being overrun by Russian Forces in a few days, we’re now at the stage where a Ukrainian victory is a possibility. Some battles will enter popular legend, and the Snake Island Incident is one of them.

Only 0.17 km² in area, and situated in the Black Sea barely 40 km from the coast of Ukraine, Snake Island (also called Zmiinyi Island) was home to a small garrison of Ukrainian soldiers. On the first day of the invasion, 24 February 2022, it was attacked by the Russian Navy, headed by its flagship, Moskva, now languishing on the seabed after a later missile strike.

When the Moskva demanded the garrison to surrender, it was met by the now iconic answer “Russian warship, go fuck yourself”. Unfortunately, the Russian Navy attacked, capturing the soldiers, and the island remained under Russian control until it was relieved in June 2022 after a campaign of military action. This tiny island has entered the folklore of this war, even appearing on a stamp, and now, a coin.

We’ve seen some terrific coins issued with this conflict as the subject, many of them contributing proceeds to humanitarian, and even military causes, with even national mints like the Monnaie de Paris taking notice. This new release from the Carpathian Mint features the Snake Island Incident. The reverse depicts a small cadre of Ukrainian troops defiantly signalling the Moskva, which is firing multiple missiles at them. It’s a good-looking design, with some subtle colour highlighting, and tons of detail crammed in, down to missile launchers, body armour, and more.

The obverse is a more poignant design, depicting a young soldier deep in thought walking past a stately building, no longer at its best. Like the reverse face, there are good levels of high-relief in the strike, and the whole thing is a fitting tribute to a group of brave men. Just 500 of these two-ounce silver coins will be produced, and they’re available to pre-order now.

DENOMINATION COMPOSITION DIAMETER FINISH MINTAGE
2,000 Francs CFA (Cameroon) 62.2 g of 0.999 silver 45.0 mm Antique 500