Arthur Greene
While Master KG and Kendrick Lamar dominate the airwaves around SA this month, a very different song is being sung around Ukraine – a rock ballad dedicated to a Turkish military drone.
The “Bayraktar” song – named after the Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 combat drone – has birthed dozens of viral videos since Russia’s invasion on 24 February.
None of these videos, however, tops the rendition released out of the blue by a group of soldiers on the frontline this week.
The professional-style music video shows the band, kitted out in full military uniforms – guns included – standing in what appears to be a graveyard of Russian tanks.
While an accordian player, a violinist and a double bassist perform behind them, the singers sing joyfully about how the powerful Turkish war machine has fought back the Russian army.
“The invaders came to us in Ukraine. The uniform’s new military chain. But their inventory melted in part. Bayraktar!” the song begins.
The song was in fact composed by a Ukrainian soldier called Taras Borovok, who was asked by the country’s armed forces to pen a catchy song that would bring the country together.
Needless to say, Borovok delivered.
For weeks, the song has dominated Ukrainian radio stations, it has reportedly been used by jammers to block up Russian radio communications and even a Kyiv police dog has been named after it.
“They wanted to invade us with force, and we took offence at these orcs. Russian bandits are made into ghosts by Bayraktar!”
