Ukrainian Soldiers On Snake Island Who Reportedly Said 'Russian Warship, Go F*** Yourself' Are Actually Still Alive

February 28th, 2022 - 2:48 PM EST by Aidan Walker

5 comments | Contact Newsroom

An image of Snake Island and a Ukrainian soldier.

A recent statement from the Ukrainian Navy confirmed earlier today that the soldiers stationed at Snake Island, who on February 24th reportedly replied to a threat from a Russian warship with the phrase “Russian warship, go fuck yourself” are actually alive, contrary to initial reports that claimed they were killed in action.


In the “Russian warship, go fuck yourself” memes that circulated widely over the past week, the number of troops at Snake Island was also misstated (there were actually 82, not 13) and so was the outcome of their battle with the Russian warship: the Ukrainians did not fight to the death, but surrendered when they ran out of supplies.


The now-iconic catchphrase “Russian warship, go fuck yourself” and the inaccurate story of Snake Island’s "battle-to-the-death" spread across the internet and became a rallying cry for many Ukrainians and foreign supporters alike. The phrase was featured on highway signs in Ukraine, on the chests of news anchors in Latvia, on brick walls in Sweden, and on Facebook walls worldwide. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy promised the soldiers the “Hero of Ukraine” award, and the Snake Island story was cited by people across the internet as an example of Ukrainian courage.


The truthfulness of several other prominent memes from this past week in Ukraine has also been called into question. From the Ghost of Kyiv to years-old photos of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a bulletproof vest that went viral, it appears that many of the events and images that formed the internet’s initial impressions of the war did not actually happen, or happened differently than people online were led to believe.

Amidst the fog of war and the never-ending fact-checking maelstrom that is Twitter, it makes sense that incomplete or false stories can gain a foothold in the public’s mind. Regardless, many people online are disturbed by the spread and volume of misinformation about the war. “Russian warship, go fuck yourself” and other less-than-accurate memes were crucial in the shaping of public opinion over the past few days, and were covered by papers of record such as The Washington Post. Often, the factually dubious memes received more attention than the blander and vaguer news stories these outlets also published, exposing a vulnerability in the media.


But even though reports of the Snake Island garrison’s deaths were exaggerated, the phrase “Russian warship, go fuck yourself” was indeed said, at least according to reports on this latest development, so that part of the meme appears to be accurate.


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