A Latvian MP used a phrase you probably remember from the early phases of the Ukrainian war to let Russian delegates know exactly how he feels about the ongoing conflict.
Rihards Kols tore into the Russian delegation at a parliamentary session of the European security body on Thursday evening in Vienna, the night before the one-year anniversary of the war.
He also used a catchphrase used by Ukrainian soldiers and caught on camera which went viral on the very first day of the invasion: “Russian warship, go fuck yourself.”
During a meeting at the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe in Vienna, Kols furiously suggested that the Russian representatives should not have been permitted to speak.
He said: “We [say] right now that we stand up to our principles and values and statutes. We don’t.
“There’s an elephant in the room called Russian Federation delegation.
“I mean, if I were a witness and someone asked me who is a war criminal, well I would point to the back benches in this room.
“It’s just disgrace. It’s a disgrace that this delegation is here, particularly the delegation that consists of members who are sanctioned individuals, who voted to annex independent country’s territories – Donbas, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia and Luhansk.”
“Those are the principles this institution vowed to protect and guard,” Kols continued.
“And we are sitting like nothing happened.
“You know, I would use the momentum and apologies Mr Chair, I will convey a message to the Russian delegation sitting in this room and I will quote the Ukrainian border guards.”
Quoting the Ukrainian guards, he said: “Russian warship, go fuck yourself.”
Then, according to Polish TV station Belsat, the Russian rep said he was there “legally”, and said anyone who disagreed could leave the hall “along with their Ukrainian flags”.
Around half of the delegates in the room subsequently left.
The Ukrainian delegation actually refused to attend the winter session altogether in protest over the Russian representatives’ appearance.
Kols was taking inspiration from the Ukrainian border guards who were stationed on Snake Island, in the Black Sea south of Odessa, when they were told to surrender by a Russian warship on the very first day of the war.
Audio recordings caught the reply of guard Roman Hrybov: “Russian warship, go fuck yourself.”
It was their last communication before being captured by the Russian Navy in the attack, although reports at the time suggested all the guards had been killed.
When he was released a month later, Hrybov received a medal to honour his bravery.
The phrase was then honoured on a postage stamp created by the Ukrainian postal service.