Warriors' Music: Incredible works performed by Ukrainian soldiers and friends

'Музика Воїнів' (Warriors' Music) is a new art initiative budding in Ukraine, in which soldiers and their friends perform classic pieces of Ukrainian (and other) origin with the goal of bringing beauty and joy to their brothers facing difficult circumstances. The 4 videos posted so far have accumulated almost 500 000 hits since the original "Hymn Ukrainy" played on cello went up on YouTube on February 8th.

As coordinator and Ukrainian serviceman Oleksandr Tkachuk reported to "The Day" here,

“We decided that music should be put at the service of the army. My primary objective has been to raise the morale of our boys through the art. Secondly, we want to show people from all over the world that the Ukrainian soldiers are not murderers and do not conduct punitive operations, but are people of culture and high spiritual development. The project’s idea is that musical instruments are weapons too, and musicians are warriors. However, while weapons destroy everything, the art, on the contrary, builds up personality. Culture is a front of this war, and we should pay attention to it. Our project aims to raise the spirit of people, to show them that things are not as bad as they seem, and Ukraine will definitely become a united and prosperous country.”

The latest video performed by a Maidan activist and volunteer member of the Donbas Battalion, who was captured in Illovaysk and forced to play for his captors.

Here he performs the Moonlight Sonata for his brothers at the Central Military Hospital in Kyiv:

Here is also an incredibly stirring interpretation of "Лента за Лентою" performed on bagpipes:

Just recently posted is a bandura version of "Боже Україну Збережи":

Oleksandr Tkachuk wishes to dedicate his efforts to those who fell in the Maidan massacre.

Any true Ukrainian understands that the best prescription for dealing with any sort of hardship is music. We remain inspired by the unfathomable spirit and resilience of the Ukrainian soldiers and people and look forward to more from this series.