Snake Island sailors who shouted viral phrase at Russian warship freed in prisoner swap

The Ukrainian Snake Island sailors who went viral for shouting “Russian warship, go f— yourself” were freed on Thursday during a prisoner swap with Russia.

Iryna Vereschuk, the deputy prime minister of Ukraine, said Ukraine released 11 Russian civilian sailors they had rescued from a sunken ship near Odessa in exchange for the 19 civilian sailors from Snake Island, who were captured in the beginning of the invasion, according to a Telegram post.

A Russian warship approached Snake Island on Feb. 24 and demanded the sailors, who were border guards for the island in the Black Sea, “lay down your arms and surrender to avoid bloodshed and unnecessary deaths. Otherwise, you will be bombed.”

The 13 guards gathered together before they came back with a response: “Russian warship, go f— yourself.”

The sailors were captured from Snake Island after they ran out of ammunition and were forced to surrender. The servicemen were reportedly taken to Sevastopol in the Crimean Peninsula.

The “Russian warship, go f— yourself” statement quickly went viral. Shirts, patches and other items bearing the phrase are even available online, including on Amazon.

Vereschuk also said 10 Ukrainian soldiers were exchanged with 10 Russian soldiers during Thursday’s prisoner swap.