“Russian warship, go f— yourself.”— Roman Hrybov, Snake Island, 2022
Roman worked as a bulldozer operator before his passion for serving his country led him to the military. In 2018 he signed a contract with the Ukrainian Marine Corps, joining the 35th Separate Marine Brigade named after Rear Admiral Mykhailo Ostrohradskyi. Before the full-scale invasion he served a series of combat rotations in the east, in the ATO and Joint Forces Operation zone, and rose to chief sergeant of a division.
Roman was sent to Snake Island in early January 2022. On February 24, his unit watched the cruiser Moskva come into view about fifteen kilometers out, with a landing ship beside it. The garrison had no anti-ship weapons and held out until about five in the afternoon. Asked how, he says: “Just fighting spirit, that’s all.”
Faced with a demand from a Russian warship to surrender, Roman answered with the now-legendary reply that became an iconic symbol of Ukrainian resistance — on stamps, songs and T-shirts within days, and in January 2025 certified as a national record, with 28 million recorded citations. His defiance in the face of overwhelming odds showed the world the strength of the Ukrainian spirit in the darkest days of the war.
Captured by Russian forces, Roman endured physical and psychological torture — from Crimea to tent camps and prisons — subjected to cruel treatment. Forced into a prisoner's robe and put under intense mental pressure, he never gave in. His endurance stands as a testament to the strength of the Ukrainian people.
After the garrison surrendered on the senior officer’s order, he was taken from a pier by ship to Crimea, then on to Kursk, the tent camps of Shebekino in minus 25 degrees, and a strict-regime facility at Stary Oskol. On March 24, 2022 he was exchanged, after about twelve hours bound at the neck and wrists, not knowing where he was being taken. Of the 82 defenders of the island, 25 were still in captivity when he gave his last full interview in 2024.
For personal courage and selfless action in defence of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, he was awarded the Order “For Courage”, III Class, and the “For Fortitude” distinction. The Cherkasy region honored him in March 2022 with its award “For Merits to Cherkasy Region”, and at the end of 2024 he received the national “Golden Hands” prize.
At the London 2025 Summit, Roman spoke on the Freedom from Captivity panel. He described what hurt most: not knowing whether your family and your command think you are dead — because a prisoner reported killed in action is not on the exchange list. He called his mother from the road and was home within three days.
“When I was released from the camp I became really popular, so the captivity itself moved to a second plane.”— Roman Hrybov, London 2025
Roman came home from captivity, completed his military service, and started again — in business, and in the veteran community he came back to. He is a regional leader of the Association of Veteran Entrepreneurs of Ukraine, where his work is reintegration through enterprise: helping fellow veterans launch and grow businesses, and bringing resources into the region's economy. Alongside it he runs his own venture in commercial logistics.
He takes part in charitable initiatives supporting the Armed Forces, and speaks at events on veteran leadership, resilience, and what a country owes the people who defended it.
