Spits (), also called sandspits, are long, narrow coastal landforms that resemble sandbars or embankments and protrude into a body of water from a headland. Spits are formed by the process of longshore drift, in which waves impact the headland at a sharp angle, depositing sediment and causing the water's currents to transport the sediment down the beach, allowing it to accumulate in the area of the spit. Through the process of wave shoaling, this accumulated sediment becomes increasingly curved, resembling the appearance of a fish hook as the waves refract around the spit's end. Often lagoons, estuaries, and salt marshes will form near spits.

Numerous spits are located across the territory of Ukraine, particularly on the Sea of Azov and Black Sea's coasts as well as on the shores of major rivers. Due to natural and artificial changes, a number of islands in the country have become geographic spits as the straits separating them from the mainland have been filled, such as following the start of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine when Russian troops connected the then-largest island in Ukraine, Dzharylhach, to the mainland. There are also some geographic features that alternate in their classification as an island or as a spit based on variable weather and sea conditions, most notably Byriuchyi Island, which typically becomes an island in the autumn months when its narrow isthmus connection to the mainland is flooded by higher tides. In addition, there are several landforms commonly referred to as spits which have different geographical definitions, such as Tendra Spit in western Kherson Oblast, which is separated from the mainland by a strait, making it an island; and Katranska Spit in southern Odesa Oblast, which is fully connected from both ends to the mainland, making it an isthmus. Some spits, such as , have geographical spits that extend out from its main area, although these smaller features are generally considered as part of the larger spit's land. There are also spits that extend from islands, such as , which branches off from Tendra Spit.

Through history, Ukraine's geography has undergone significant changes, with there being numerous spits that have emerged and disappeared through natural and artificial processes. In classical antiquity, Tendra Spit and Dzharylhach both connected to the mainland coast to form a single, continuous spit called the Course of Achilles. Based on the combined current land areas of Tendra Spit and Dzharylhach as well as historical records, the Course of Achilles would have had a total area of between approximately and , making it one of the largest spits in Ukraine at that time. Another former, though smaller, spit was , which was historically located at the confluence of the Samara and Dnipro rivers; it became almost entirely submerged by the Dnipro Reservoir after the Dnipro dam's initial construction in 1932. Currently, there are 45 named geographical features recognized as spits in the State Register of Geographical Names—the country's official geoportal maintained by the . Of these, the largest spit in the country and the longest spit in the world is the Arabat Spit, which separates the western parts of the Sea of Azov from the Syvash—a large area of salty, shallow lagoons in Crimea. During the Russo-Ukrainian war, many of Ukraine's spits that came under Russian control as well as those near and far from the frontline have experienced significant damage or artificial alterations due to the fighting and detrimental policies of Russian military and occupation officials.

Political status Following the Russian occupation and annexation of Crimea in 2014, the Autonomous Republic of Crimea-portion of the Arabat Spit, as well as additional smaller spits located on the Crimean peninsula, came under the control of Russian forces, who de facto administered the territory as part of the unrecognized Russian Republic of Crimea. Parts of the small, northern segment of the spit administratively located in Kherson Oblast, including the village of Strilkove, were also briefly occupied by unmarked Russian soldiers beginning from 15 March before their withdrawal on 9 December 2014. After the Donbas war, the Kryva Spit located in Donetsk Oblast was also occupied in 2014, with pro-Russian militants taking the spit's area and neighboring settlement of Siedove.

From the withdrawal of the Russian troops in December until the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, the northern parts of the Arabat Spit were amongst the few areas geographically part of the Crimean peninsula that stayed under the control of Ukrainian authorities, while the Kryva Spit remained under the control of separatist forces as part of the Russian-backed Donetsk People's Republic. After the start of the full-scale invasion, the remaining northern segment of the Arabat Spit as well as the rest of Ukraine's Azov Sea coastline (including the five spits still under the control of Ukrainian authorities before 2022), were occupied by Russian forces. In addition, following their offensive into and occupation of Kherson Oblast, Russian troops also occupied the Kinburn and Bili Kuchuhury spits. The occupied spits were all integrated into Russia following its unilateral annexation of separatist-controlled and other Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine on 30 September 2022. Many of Ukraine's spits, including all of its Azov Sea spits, have remained under Russian de facto control since 2022 while the United Nations and most of the international community continue to recognize the territories as de jure part of Ukraine.

List

+ Spit Ukrainian name Geocode Administrative division Geographic location Water body Area Highest elevation Coordinates Adzhyholska kosa Аджигольська коса F-13807 Mykolaiv — — Adzhyholska kosa Аджигольська коса F-13957 Mykolaiv, Mykolaiv Raion, Kutsurub rural hromada — — Arabat Spit Арабатська Стрілка F-13370 Crimea/Kherson Separates the Syvash lagoons from the Sea of Azov Sea of Azov — Arrow Spit Коса Стрілка F-45865 Odesa, Berezivka Raion Located southeast of the nearby village on the Tylihul Estuary's western shore, near Sasyk Lagoon Tylihul Estuary — Bakalska Spit Бакальська коса F-13195 Crimea In the northwestern Crimean peninsula, extending from the village and north of Black Sea Berdiansk Spit Бердянська коса F-13741 Zaporizhzhia South of the city of Berdiansk Sea of Azov Bili Kuchuhury Білі Кучугури F-13596 Kherson Extends from the far western half of the Tendra Spit towards the mainland Yahorlyk Kut peninsula through the Gulf of Tendra's waters Black Sea — Bilosaraiska Spit Білосарайська коса F-13795 Donetsk In the northeast of the Azov Sea, extending from the spit's namesake village of Sea of Azov Byriuchyi Island Бирючий Острів F-13521 Kherson In the northwest of the Azov Sea, extending from Fedotova Spit Sea of Azov — Chylova Чилова F-45835 Mykolaiv, Mykolaiv Raion — — Durylova Дурилова F-13578 Kherson — — Dzharylhach Джарилгач F-13570 Kherson Extends from the rural settlement of Lazurne towards the Isthmus of Perekop through Karkinit Bay Black Sea Fedotova Spit Федотова коса F-13522 Kherson/Zaporizhzhia In the northwest of the Azov Sea, extending from Kyrylivka Sea of Azov — Hlyboka kosa Глибока коса F-13581 Kherson — — Komysh-Burunska Spit Комиш-Бурунська коса F-13126 Crimea In the southern part of the city of Kerch Black Sea — Kamysheva kosa Камишева коса F-13802 Mykolaiv — — Karolina-Buhaz Кароліна-Бугаз F-33993 Odesa, Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi Raion — — Kosa Kryva Коса Крива F-13759 Zaporizhzhia — — Kinburn Spit Кінбурнська коса F-13812 Mykolaiv/Kherson Westernmost end of the Kinburn Peninsula, close to the Dnipro–Buh estuary Black Sea Kryva Spit Крива коса F-13790 Donetsk In the northeast of the Azov Sea, extending from Siedove Sea of Azov Kryva Крива F-45864 Mykolaiv, Mykolaiv City Council — — Laherna kosa Лагерна коса F-13800 Mykolaiv — — Lantseva Kosa Ланцева Коса F-13799 Mykolaiv — — Levkina Левкіна F-13577 Kherson — — Liskova Ліскова F-45834 Mykolaiv, Mykolaiv City Council — — Mala Kosa Мала коса F-13527 Kherson — — Malenka kosa Маленька коса F-13631 Odesa — — Medvezha Медвежа F-13583 Kherson — — Milka kosa Мілка коса F-13580 Kherson — — Ovecha Овеча F-13587 Kharkiv — — Obytichna Spit Обитічна коса F-13750 Zaporizhzhia In the northern Azov Sea, separating from Sea of Azov — Ozharska Ожарська F-45861 Mykolaiv, Mykolaiv Raion — — Popova Попова F-13635 Odesa — — Pivdenna Південна F-45871 Odesa, Chornomorsk City Council — — Pivnichna Північна F-45868 Odesa, Ovidiopol Raion — — Ruska Spit Руська коса F-45862 Mykolaiv, Mykolaiv Raion Located on the left bank of the Buh estuary northwest of and across from Voloska Spit Southern Buh river — — Serednia Kosa Середня Коса F-13748 Zaporizhzhia — — Shahanska kosa Шаганська коса F-13637 Odesa — — Spaska Spit Спаська коса F-45833 Mykolaiv, Mykolaiv City Council Located in the neighborhood of Mykolaiv, on the city's left bank shore of the Buh estuary Southern Buh river — — Svyniacha Свиняча F-13585 Kherson — — Synia kosa Синя коса F-13543 Kherson — — Tuzla Тузла F-13375 Crimea — — Vasylkova kosa Василькова коса F-34258 Kherson — — Voloska Spit Волоська коса F-45863 Mykolaiv, Mykolaiv Raion Located on the right bank of the Buh estuary near and across from Ruska Spit Southern Buh river — — Yehypetska Arrow Єгипетська Стрілка F-34260 Kherson — — Zhebriianska Spit Жебріянська коса F-33848 Odesa, Izmail Raion In the northwestern part of , to the southeast of the village of Prymorske in the Danube Delta Black Sea

See also Geography of Ukraine Spits of the Sea of Azov List of islands of Ukraine Peresyp

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