The Ukrainian servicemember who uttered the now-famous "Russian warship, go f*** yourself" line on Snake Island was released from Russian captivity, The Ukrainian defense ministry said on Monday.
Roman Hrybov, from Cherkasy in central Ukraine, was also awarded a medal by the Ukraine Armed Forces, a tweet from the defense ministry shows.
"Roman Hrybov...returned from Russian captivity to his native Cherkasy region. Glory to the hero!" the tweet reads.
Roman Hrybov, the author of the famous “Russian Warship, Go F*** Yourself” phrase, returned from Russian captivity to his native Cherkasy region. Glory to the Hero! #GlorytoUkraine pic.twitter.com/uruPgkBLGv
— Defence of Ukraine (@DefenceU) March 29, 2022
In February, a day after the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, a unit of 13 Ukrainian soldiers defending the Black Sea island was captured by Russian forces.
The unit held on for several hours after Hrybov told Russian warship Moskva and patrol ship Vasily Bykov via radio communication to "go f*** yourself," in retaliation to the demand of their surrender.
Despite initial reports stating all 13 soldiers were killed, the Ukrainian navy said later that week that all the soldiers are alive and were captured by Russia.
The navy added that a civilian ship had gone to the island to help the victims after the attack, but it was captured by the Russians. The navy demanded the release of all Ukrainian citizens.