Roman Hrybov Breaks Record with Iconic Phrase During the War

Roman Hrybov, a fighter with the Odesa-based 35th Marine Brigade, who became known for his legendary response to the Russian occupiers at Zmiine, has become a record holder. His iconic phrase, which symbolizes the resilience of Ukrainians, set a national record. In January 2025, more than 28 million mentions of it were officially recorded in the media and social networks.

RBC-Ukraine reports.

The famous words "Russian ship, go f*ck yourself" were uttered in response to the ultimatum of the Russian military during the storming of Zmeinyi Island. Initially, the authorship was attributed to marine Roman Gribov, but in May 2022, the head of the Zmiinyi border guard post, Bohdan Hotskyi, said that the phrase belonged to his subordinate border guards, as the marines did not have access to a radio station.

Photo: Roman Gribov/Instagram

The State Border Guard Service of Ukraine later explained that the confusion with the authorship was part of an information operation to protect the real author, who was in Russian captivity at the time.

Upon his return, Roman continued his service in the 35th Marine Brigade. He is actively involved in volunteer work, helping wounded soldiers and holding meetings with young people, telling them about the battles for Zmiinyi.

At the end of 2024, Roman Hrybov was awarded the Golden Hands national award for his contribution to the defense of Ukraine and the fight against the aggressor.

Earlier, Mayor Hennadii Trukhanov awarded Major Denys Didychuk with the Odesa Mayor's Honorary Award "For the Defense of Odesa". On March 21, 2022, he commanded a rocket-artillery platoon of the 28th separate mechanized brigade named after the Knights of the Winter Campaign, which fought with Russian ships in the morning of that day and shot down one of the frigates, forcing the enemy to abandon further attacks.

Ірина Глухова