Snake Island Soldier Who Told Russian Ship To 'Go F*** Yourself' Recounts Days In Captivity

An event that marked the start of the Russian invasion was the attack on Snake Island (Zmiinyi Island), which saw Ukrainian border guards bravely rebuffing Kremlin's demands to surrender.

Two months after he attained a heroic stance, thanks to his defiant words telling the Russian warship to "Go f*** yourself," Snake Island border guard Roman Hrybov opened up about the events of the day and his time in Russian captivity.

Hybrov said the troop at Snake Island realized the war had begun when he saw Russians on the horizon. "Sea-borne troops arrived, played their famous record that we should surrender, or be bombed. It was a little scary, but I wanted to give them a decent answer. For some reason, this phrase inspired people and became a slogan from the first day of the war. Since this phrase cheered up our people a little, my mother supported it, although it’s not a very nice phrase. But I'm already an adult, and can speak like that," Hybrov told The New Voice Of Ukraine.

Hybrov said the Russians did not know that he was the one who mouthed the explicit phrase. "They did not know who said this. And that's good, because I think I would have been treated badly in that case. I wouldn't have got home," he added.

After their captures, the Snake Island border guards, including him, were moved three times, first to the Crimea, then to tented camps, and then to a detention center. "We were treated worse than dogs. When (we) got into the detention center, we were dressed in the uniform of prisoners. Since we did not have any information about what was happening in Ukraine while we were staying there, they pressured us (by saying) they had already captured Ukraine, and that it made no sense for us to return," Hybrov said.

Despite this, the guards hoped and prayed that they would be released soon. One day, they were moved to another place in trucks before being swapped.

He added that they had nooses around their necks and hands tied. None of them expected they were going to be exchanged. "But at the last moment, they said that there was an exchange. And we had thought we were going to be shot," he said.

Upon release, Hybrov visited his family and friends. He added that his relatives had appealed to the relevant authorities to achieve his release. "I have been staying at home for a month. I saw my mother first, went to her, and then went to my wife. I just wanted to spend a day or two with my wife, and then I wanted to see friends, comrades, because everyone was worried about me," Hrybov told the news outlet.

He is now aware of his popularity and is happy to have "met a lot of people" and "visited a lot of places." "I'm returning to service. Back to service. The enemy invaded my country, it shall be defended. Truth is ours, victory is ours," he added.