Ukrainian border guard who told off a Russian warship shares his experience as a prisoner of war

Ukrainian border guard Roman Hrybov was serving on Snake Island in the Black Sea, just south of the Port of Odesa, when the full-scale Russian invasion began in February 2022. His response to a Russian warship approaching the island, demanding their surrender — "Russian Warship, go f*** yourself" — became a heroic moment in Ukraine. The rallying cry has been commemorated in music, on T-shirts and even on a postage stamp.

Hrybov and his fellow border guards refused to surrender and were thought to have been killed, but they were taken prisoner by the Russians. They were released in a prisoner swap in March 2022.

Here & Now's Scott Tong spoke with Hrybov at the Ukrainian embassy in Washington, D.C., with an interpreter.