Roman Hrybov was one of the Ukrainian soldiers defending the tiny island of snakes in the Black Sea during a multi-pronged Russian offensive on the first day of the conflict. It became a symbol of concentration in Ukraine as it resisted Russian invading forces and has now been recognized by the country’s Ministry of Defense. A Ukrainian official initially said all 13 soldiers defending Snake Island had been killed, and an audio clip – which was posted hundreds of thousands of times on the Internet – of the exchange between Ukrainian and Russian forces was released. A voice is heard saying, “This is a Russian warship. “I urge you to drop your weapons and surrender to avoid bloodshed and unnecessary casualties. Otherwise you will be bombed.” Then came the infamous response from Snake Island: “Russian warship, go fall on your own.” Putin’s forces were “pushed” out of the chapter – live updates Days later it was discovered that Mr Hrybov and his comrades were alive but had been arrested. They were released earlier this month and allowed to return home to Cherkasy in central Ukraine.
