On February 24, 2022, the first day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Russian naval vessel Vasily Bykov ordered the 13 Ukrainian border guards on Snake Island in the Black Sea to surrender. The border guards replied, “Russian warship, go f*** yourself“. The warship shelled the island in response and the soldiers were reported to have been killed. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced he would “posthumously” award the soldiers on Snake Island with the highest Ukrainian honor, the Hero of Ukraine.

Then on March 7, 2022, Ukrainian sources claimed that the Armed Forces of Ukraine had attacked Vasily Bykov using a shore-based multiple rocket launcher system off the coast of Odessa, stating that the ship had been heavily damaged or even sunk.

Call it the fog of war. While both accounts had a basis in fact, neither the deaths of the Ukrainian border guards nor the sinking of the Vasily Bykov turned out to be true.

Nine days after allegedly being sunk, Vasily Bykov was seen returning to the Russian Black Sea Fleet naval base in Sevastopol, with no damage visible. According to The Drive, the Moldovan-flagged vessel MV Millennial Spirit, which was still burning after it was hit by a Russian warship on 25 February 2022, twelve miles from Ukrainian port Yuzhne, could have been mistakenly interpreted by Ukrainian officials.

Likewise, despite initial reports of the Snake Island border guards’ deaths, they were taken prisoner by the Russian Navy and most were subsequently freed in a prisoner swap with the Russians. Roman Gribov, the border guard believed to have uttered the anatomically impossible taunt to the Russian warship, returned to his native Cherkasy region and was given a medal for his actions. 

Variations on “Russian warship, go f*** yourself“ have become a rallying cry of the Ukrainian resistance. The Washington Post notes that a journalist for the Guardian in the region said on Twitter that the slogan can be seen emblazoned on highway signs, painted on checkpoints, and written in dust on trucks.

In March, Ukrposhta, the Ukrainian postal service, launched a stamp design competition on the theme of the phrase. The design chosen features a Ukrainian soldier raising a middle finger at a Russian warship.

The postage stamp named "Russian warship, go f**k yourself!" will appear in🇺🇦. The sketch by artist Boris Groh received the most votes and will soon be published by Ukraine's state postal company.
🇺🇦✌️#StandWithUkraine#StopRussianAgression pic.twitter.com/ByYAzw2tYq

— Emine Dzheppar (@EmineDzheppar) March 12, 2022