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.

BREAKING:
It’s official – 🇺🇦 Snake Island sailors are alive, Navy confirms.
They were taken prisoner by Russia.

— Illia Ponomarenko (@IAPonomarenko) February 28, 2022

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.

A group of Ukrainian border guards were stationed on Snake Island, in the Black Sea south of Odessa, when a Russian warship ordered them to surrender under threat of attack.

Their response: "Russian warship, go fuck yourself."

They held their ground. All 13 were killed. pic.twitter.com/GMRsXQRSX0

— Alejandro Alvarez (@aletweetsnews) February 25, 2022

My new motto in life is, “Russian warship, go fuck yourself.”

— Cenk Uygur (@cenkuygur) February 26, 2022

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.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the 13 who were killed on Snake Island will be bestowed “Hero of Ukraine,” the highest honorific he can award.

A recording of the 13 border guards telling a Russian warship “go f--- yourself” went viral Thursday.https://t.co/z7qIUK63MI

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) February 25, 2022

Boryspil highway "Russian warship, go f*** yourself" pic.twitter.com/z4bXcc8nV4

— KyivPost (@KyivPost) February 26, 2022

Outside of my apartment in Sweden.
Russian Warship go fuck yourself.
LEGENDS!!#UkraineRussiaWar #kyiv #ukraine pic.twitter.com/T8YmKJ2Fgo

— Emilia 🇸🇪 (@Emizhen) February 27, 2022

Latvian news anchor's sweater says:
"Russian warship go fuck yourself" pic.twitter.com/BbBJ9B5X6H

— Critical Cripple 🌈 ♿ ⚛️ (@CriticalCripple) February 27, 2022

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.

The Snake Island story was fake, the Ghost of Kyiv was fake, the photos of Zelensky in body armor were fake (they're old pictures being circulated as new ones)

Ukraine-Russia is World War Reddit

— Pedro L. Gonzalez (@emeriticus) February 27, 2022

All the "ghost of kyiv sunflower grandma snake island" shit isn't actually morale boost fodder for Ukrainians it's fanciful lore-building slop specifically crafted with intent to turn Marvel-brained soymericans into neocons and it's working

— Lo-fi Republican (@LoFiRepublican) February 27, 2022

This meme has been doing the rounds. It says "go fuck yourself". The defiant last words of 13 Ukrainian border guards on Snake Island in the Black Sea, after they were given an ultimatum by a Russian warship to surrender or die. pic.twitter.com/Hjik712JgF

— Aubrey Belford (@AubreyBelford) February 25, 2022

The correct reaction to the snake island troops being alive should be one of delight that they are alive.

Not making this all about the size of your outstanding galactic intellect and pretend like you unearthed some grand conspiracy worthy of appearing on History channel

— Mihnea/𒈪𒄴𒉈𒀀 (@Miyhnea) February 28, 2022

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.