‘Russian warship go f--- yourself’: Snake Island soldier who coined viral Ukraine war slogan gets medal

The Snake Island soldier who uttered the Ukraine-Russia war's most famous put-down when he refused to surrender to a Russian warship has been awarded a civic medal.

Trapped on the tiny Black Sea island and massively outgunned, Roman Gribov's response to the Russian warship was emphatic.

"Russian warship. Go f---- yourself!" he said in a recording released on the internet and listened to millions of times.

This defiance on February 24, the first day of the Ukraine war, sparked a surge of patriotism among Ukrainians.

The slogan appeared on billboards across the country, at anti-Russia protests in capitals across the world and even inspired a new Ukrainian stamp with a lone soldier giving a dark, hulking warship a middle-fingered salute.

It didn't even matter that the myth around the "Snake Island heroes" had outrun the truth, as it often does in wartime.

During the chaotic early days of the war, reports consistently said that the Snake Island soldiers had refused to surrender and had fought the invading Russians until they were killed.

Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian President, even said he would posthumously award them the nation's top military award.

Instead, the 13 soldiers did surrender to the Russian warship and a few weeks later they were returned to Ukraine in a prisoner swap.

Border guard has applied to trademark phrase

Since then, Mr Gribov, the border guard, has reportedly applied to trademark his famous phrase.

But myth can be as important as reality in wartime, and at the medal ceremony the head of the Cherkasy regional administration called Mr Gribov a true "hero".

With a short military haircut and dressed in military fatigues, Mr Gribov accepted the award with a smile and then gave a brief interview.

"I want to say a big thank you to the Ukrainian people for such support," he said. "We strongly feel this support, it inspires us."

The fortifying semi-myth of the Snake Island soldiers' resistance has not been the only one that the Ukrainian authorities have spread.

The legend of the Ghost of Kyiv, an air force pilot who has allegedly shot down 21 Russian fighters, has been another that found its way into everyday lore. Nobody knows the real name of the pilot, or if he actually exists.