A Ukrainian soldier who defied a Russian warship by telling its commander to “go f*** yourself” has been awarded a bravery medal after being freed from captivity.
Roman Hrybov was stationed on Zmiinyi (Snake) Island in the Black Sea when Russian forces launched their invasion on 24 February.
A day later, 13 guards stationed on the remote island were informed by a Russian warship via loudspeaker that they should surrender or “be hit with a bomb strike”.