The Moskva was 186 meters of guided-missile cruiser — the flagship of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet. She carried sixteen P-500 Bazalt anti-ship missiles, sixty-four S-300F surface-to-air missiles, and a crew of over five hundred. On the morning of February 24, 2022 — hour one of the largest land war in Europe since 1945 — she trained her guns on a rock in the Black Sea called Snake Island. [1]
On the rock were thirteen Ukrainian border guards of the Izmail Border Detachment. They had rifles.
The Moskva radioed: surrender or be bombed.
Roman Hrybov, a border guard from Cherkasy Oblast, turned to his comrade. “That’s it, then. Or, do we need to fuck them back off?” His comrade: “Might as well.” Hrybov keyed the radio: «Русский военный корабль, иди на хуй.» [1]
The bombardment destroyed everything on the island. Ukraine reported all thirteen dead. President Zelenskyy announced posthumous Hero of Ukraine awards. The audio — first published by Ukrainska Pravda, authenticated by the Washington Post and U.S. defense officials — went around the world in hours. [1][2]
Four days later, the Ukrainian Navy confirmed they were alive — captured, not killed. Hrybov was exchanged on March 24 and went home with a medal. When asked what he’d been thinking, he said there was nothing to think about. [1]
On April 12, Ukrposhta issued a stamp designed by Boris Groh — a Crimean artist exiled to Lviv after the 2014 annexation. A lone soldier, middle finger raised, the Moskva on the horizon. Over a million printed. Seven hundred thousand sold in days. [3][4]
The next day — April 13 — two Ukrainian Neptune missiles struck the Moskva. She burned, listed, and sank under tow on April 14. [1]
Ukrposhta issued a revised stamp. Same soldier. Same finger. The warship removed from the scene.
By June 30, Ukraine retook the island. The liberation opened the path to the Black Sea Grain Initiative. Thirteen men on a rock, in the end, helped feed nations. [5]
Bibliography
[1] Wikipedia. “Russian warship, go fuck yourself.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_warship,_go_fuck_yourself [2] Poynter. “Ukrainian Snake Island soldiers are believed to be alive.” March 2022. https://www.poynter.org/fact-checking/2022/ukrainian-snake-island-soldiers-are-believed-to-be-alive-but-details-of-their-captivity-are-unclear/ [3] NPR. “Ukrainians wait in line for hours to buy commemorative Snake Island postage stamps.” April 2022. https://www.npr.org/2022/04/20/1093764504/ukraine-snake-island-postage-stamp [4] My Modern Met. “Commemorative Snake Island Stamp Flying Off Shelves.” April 2022. https://mymodernmet.com/snake-island-stamp-sold-out/ [5] Wikipedia. “Snake Island campaign.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snake_Island_campaign