Daman Island as a natural object exists in several parts of the globe. For example, this is the name of the territory where the recreation and culture park is located in Yaroslavl on the banks of the Kotorosl River. However, from the point of view of history, another object is better known, which is now located on the territory of the People's Republic of China.
This Daman island is small in size - about 1.8 km in length and less than a kilometer in width. During spring floods, you can not see it at all, because the Ussuri River completely hides it under its own course. Nevertheless, this piece of land became the cause of the conflict in 1969 between such serious powers as the USSR and China.
The beginning of this story dates back to the times when the Russian Empire was much stronger than the Celestial Empire. Taking advantage of its superiority in those days, Russia established water borders along the Chinese coast. It turns out that the Daman island, which is closer to China (300 meters), departed to our state, although it is further from the Russian coast (500 meters).
This situation did not bother anyone until the mid-20th century, despite the fact that under international law, river borders should be set along the main channel. Only during the reign of N. S. Khrushchev, when differences began to arise between the CPSU and the Chinese Communist Party , did the problem of disputed territories emerge. Khrushchev did not accept the territorial claims of the Chinese side, but proposed to divide the river so that the islands adjacent to China pass to it. Consensus could not be reached only in the territories near Khabarovsk, among which was Damansky Island.
A confrontation ensued between the border guards of both sides. At first it was forbidden to shoot, so there were constant fights on the ice of the frozen river. But on March 2, 1969, about 300 Chinese infantry appeared on the disputed territory, to which Soviet soldiers came forward with a proposal to liberate Daman Island. China responded with a fire to defeat. Subsequently, the parties used artillery, including the Grad installation. Losses of the parties amounted to hundreds of people.
The level of conflict has reached such a level that the USSR was planning a nuclear strike on China. But here the United States intervened in the conflict, which at that time possessed a military contingent of about 250,000 people in Asia. US troops could die in this confrontation, the US did not need a weakened China, and this country also had claims against the USSR, which did not want to jointly with the United States ban China's nuclear development. The latter successfully conducted military trials in this area in 1964. Therefore, Kissinger warned that a nuclear strike on hundreds of Soviet cities is possible.
In the first decade of September 1969, negotiations were held between Beijing and Moscow, at which a decision was made to peacefully review the territories on which the Chinese had already settled down and lived. However, during the life of Mao Zedong, no progress was made in this area. Only in 1991, it was decided to transfer the island to the People’s Republic of China. Therefore, the map of Damansky Island today is most relevant for the inhabitants of this particular state.