Tag: Ukraine

Song: Tin’ Sontsya “Peramogi Scyag” (The Flag of Victory)

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Just a few days ago, the Ukrainian folk-rock band Tin’ Sontsya (“Shadow of the Sun”) released a new song titled “Перамогi сцяг” (“The Flag of Victory” in Belarusian). What makes this project unique is that the Ukrainian band not only performs the song in Belarusian, but also dedicates it specifically to the true heroes of modern Belarus — the Kalinouski Regiment, which is currently helping Ukrainians defend and liberate their homeland. The music video is a tribute to the military glory of Belarus, combining artistic scenes with real footage of the regiment’s fighters. Sadly, some of them have already given their lives for freedom in this war.

The lyrics and the performance are also quite good, but what impressed me the most was the visual side of the video.

Tin’s Sontsya — Peramogi Scyag (dedicated to the Kalinouski Regiment)

Glory to Ukraine!

Long live Belarus!

Book: Collection “Rescuers”

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It’s quite difficult to write about the “Rescuers” collection since this is not just a book but a project to help Ukraine, which is suffering from war. Nevertheless, I’ll still try.

After the war with Ukraine began, many Ukrainians were forced to leave their homes, many suffered, and many, unfortunately, died. Like other cities, for more than six months now, one of the most Russian-speaking cities of Ukraine, Kharkiv, has been subjected to daily bombings. And for me, Kharkiv has always been the capital of Ukrainian science fiction, because it was there that one of the most famous and most prestigious science fiction festivals — “Star Bridge” — was held for many years, organized by Kharkiv residents whom I deeply respect — writers Dmitry Gromov and Oleg Ladyzhensky, better known to readers under the pseudonym Henry Lion Oldie.

It was Oldie who decided to publish the book “Rescuers,” a collection of Ukrainian science fiction of 2022. The title “Rescuers” has a double meaning. First of all, almost all works in the collection are somehow connected with those who help, who save. Secondly, the purpose of this collection is to help Ukraine fight; all money from the sale of this book “will go to help Ukrainians affected by the hostilities in the war unleashed by Russia.” This is the clear position of the authors.

But besides this noble purpose, I still wanted to get acquainted with what modern Ukrainian science fiction represents today, even if in short form. I’ve known and loved Oldie for a long time, but I don’t always have time to follow new and less well-known authors.

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Song: Kalush Orchestra “Stefania”

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Somehow, almost immediately after our wedding, my wife and I started a tradition—watching Eurovision every year. I wouldn’t say we’re huge fans of European pop music, but every now and then, some genuinely interesting bands pop up, and some of them even end up in my playlist. More often than not, they’re not even the winners. And honestly, we’ve always enjoyed the voting part the most. For example, I’ve been convinced for a long time that all professional juries should be kicked out. From those selecting the songs for the contest to those sitting there with serious faces, pretending to judge them. Ever since they started showing the jury votes separately from the public vote, it became crystal clear how far removed these so-called professionals are from the actual audience.

This year, Ukraine was the clear favorite. Of course, most commentators were yelling that it was all because of the war, that nobody actually cared about the song, and that Ukraine was going to win purely for political reasons.

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Song: Nogu Svelo! “Generation Z”

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I wouldn’t call myself a die-hard fan of Nogu Svelo!, though I’ve known the band for many years, and quite a few of their songs have made it into my playlist. But Max Pokrovsky, the band’s frontman, really caught my attention when he joined the reality show “The Last Hero” and was one of the first to openly talk about how tough it actually was. (Well, there was also the ‘clown’ Nikita Dzhigurda, who bailed from the island in the first few days, ranting about how he had been deceived and that they really weren’t going to feed them—not just on camera but for real).

And now, during these wartime days, Max is one of the few who openly speaks his mind about what’s happening—including about Russians themselves. Opinions on his new song vary widely—some even call him a sellout imperialist, standing with one foot here and the other there. But the song is raw and honest, without embellishments. And for that alone, I’m grateful to Max.

Song: Gogol Bordello “Kyive Mii” (My Kyiv)

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I can’t quite remember when or how I first discovered the band Gogol Bordello. It’s essentially an international American group led by Ukrainian emigrant Eugene Hütz. Eugene himself played one of the main roles in the film Everything Is Illuminated, which tells the story of an American Jew (played by Elijah Wood) traveling to Ukraine in search of his late grandfather’s lost love.

Many of their songs have stayed in my playlist for a long time. One of them was a song about Kyiv, performed by the band together with fans of the Dynamo Kyiv football team. Yesterday, it started playing in my car.

These days, it feels especially relevant. Kyiv, stay strong!