Direct hit! Pop song sings the praises of Himars, the rocket that has the Russians on the hop
The invaluable contribution of US-made artillery launchers in Ukraine has been immortalised in a pop song in yet another creative tribute to Western-supplied weapons.
Ukrainians have lauded the Himars artillery units for several recent successful attacks on Russian targets, including killing several high-ranking officers.
Now a music video has emerged featuring footage of the rockets being fired while a deep baritone sings about its battlefield successes.
“Hi-Mars! Our trusted ally from America is here. Do you want to meet him?”
“He’s channeling all of our anger. He’s sending rocket after rocket on our treacherous enemies. Hi-Mars! La la la la.”
The song was written by Taras Borovko, who previously wrote a similar song glorifying the Turkish-made combat drone Bayraktar TB2 that went viral online.
It goes on to deride the Russian army while Ukrainian troops are seen firing more salvoes.
“The occupiers are concocting their plans at the HQ/Then they hear the bang! Hi-Mars!”
Ukraine’s commander-in-chief on Tuesday credited Western arms supplies for “stabilising” the situation on the front almost five months into the war.
“An important factor contributing to our holding our defence lines and positions is the timely arrival of the M142 Himars, delivering targeted strikes against enemy command posts, ammunition and fuel deposits,” General Valeriy Zaluzhny said in a statement after a phone call with the chairman of the US Joints Chiefs of Staff.
Ukrainian activists have created countless memes about weaponry to boost morale and rally the population in the face of Russia’s devastating invasion.
In another example of Western-made weapons turning into pop icons, a Canadian marketer in March created an image of the Virgin Mary cradling a US-made Javelin anti-tank missile that he dubbed “Saint Javelin”.
The Canadian man has since raised over $1 million for relief efforts in Ukraine by selling “Saint Javelin” stickers and sweatshirts.
In arguably the best-known meme, a Ukrainian officer was caught in a recorded radio conversation rebuffing an invitation from the crew of a Russian warship to surrender the garrison of Snake Island in the Black Sea.
Ukraine’s national postal service has since issued stamps with “Russia warship, go f--- yourself!” while some Ukrainian officials were spotted wearing T-shirts with the catchphrase.
