Saturday, September 13, 2008

Zhenbao Island

Zhenbao Island or Damansky Island is a small island of in the Ussuri River on the border between Russia and the People's Republic of China . It was the subject of a territorial dispute between the Soviet Union and the PRC. On May 19, 1991, the two sides came to agreement that the island belongs to the PRC.

Battles with considerable loss of life were fought by the Soviet Union and the PRC over this island during the Sino-Soviet border conflict of 1969. In total, the Soviet forces claimed that the Chinese suffered 800 casualties while the Soviets only had 60 killed or wounded; the Chinese claim to have suffered only a few casualties, far less than Soviet losses. At the time, there were almost one and a half million troops deployed along the border.

A Soviet documentary movie ''Damansky Island. Year 1969.'' was made interviewing participants and leaders from both sides.