Sting Shares New ‘Russians’ Performance in Support of Ukraine
Sting has shared a new performance of his 1985 song "Russians" in support of Ukraine. You can watch the performance, uploaded to Instagram, below.
Originally released as a single off his debut solo album The Dream of the Blue Turtles, "Russians" was inspired by the Cold War between the United States and then-Soviet Union. The song, which criticizes the doctrine of mutually assured destruction, became a Top 20 hit, peaking at No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100.
"I've only rarely sung this song in the many years since it was written, because I never thought it would be relevant again," Sting said in his video. "But in the light of one man's bloody and woefully misguided decision to invade a peaceful, unthreatening neighbor, the song is, once again, a plea for our common humanity.
"For the brave Ukrainians fighting against this brutal tyranny and also the many Russians who are protesting this outrage despite the threat of arrest and imprisonment: We, all of us, love our children. Stop the war."
Sting's video caption also included the shipping address for a warehouse in Poland that is distributing care packages in coordination with the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Sting is not the first rocker to voice his support for Ukraine since Russia invaded the country in late February. Queen's Brian May shared a statement on Instagram that read, "To all our dear friends in Ukraine: We are shocked, horrified, saddened that your beautiful country has been invaded and your very lives threatened. We send our love and our prayers, and some day we will rock together again."
David Gilmour appealed directly to those engaging in battle, tweeting, "Russian soldiers, stop killing your brothers. There will be no winners in this war." Meanwhile, Dee Snider encouraged Ukrainians in a tweet to use Twisted Sister's "We're Not Gonna Take It" as their battle cry and ended his message with a succinct "#FUCKRUSSIA."