[[File:Map of Mercator Tavrica Chersones 1613.JPG|thumb|Fidonixi on the Mercator's map|left]]
[[File:Roman provinces of Illyricum, Macedonia, Dacia, Moesia, Pannonia and Thracia.jpg|thumb|left|The island carries the name of Leuce on this map of [[Johann Gustav Droysen]].]]In ancient times, the Greeks believed the island to be home to Achilles, and there were numerous shrines to him on the island.
The Ottoman and Russian Empires battled for control of the island from 1787 to 1877. The Ottomans ceded it to Russia in 1829 but regained control in 1856. In 1877, the Ottomans turned the island over to Romania.
Romania maintained control of Snake Island until 1948, when a treaty turned it over to the [[Soviet Union]]. However, Romania disputed the terms of the treaty, believing the island was rightly part of Romania. With the fall of the Soviet Union, Snake Island became part of Ukraine. Romania and Ukraine agreed that Ukraine would maintain control of Snake Island in 2009, as part of a larger treaty involving maritime territory.
During the [[Russian invasion of Ukraine]], the Russian army occupied the island beginning in February. Ukraine regained control of the island in June.
