May 14, 2023

Imagine Dragons Shows Reality in Ukraine


Imagine Dragons Shows Reality in Ukraine
A Ukrainian fourteen-year-old stands in a room wrecked by explosions. ImagineDragons, Youtube.

The American pop-rock band Imagine Dragons filmed the video clip for their song "Crushed" in Ukraine to help fundraise for United24, the official fundraising platform for Ukraine founded by President Volodymyr Zelenzky. The film follows the true story of Sasha, a fourteen-year-old from Mykolayiv Oblast, whose village was occupied by the Russian army for five months and barely survived.

The short film (embedded below) tells us Sasha's survival story as he walks through the rubble of what was once his hometown. Over a period of five months, his town endured constant shelling by Russian forces. Sasha survived by hiding underground in a bunker, but all his neighbors died. His family lost everything. The firmest structures left on the ground are encrusted missiles.

According to Rolling Stone, the director of the video, Ty Arnold, was delivering medical aid to people in Ukraine when he met the teenager. After hearing his story, Arthur partnered with Imagine Dragons, an ambassador for United24 since July 2022, to shoot the music video. The band wanted to show the reality and trauma that everyday Ukrainians experience due to the war.

All funds from the video will be directed toward rebuilding Ukraine. On their Twitter blog, Imagine Dragons strongly encouraged donating to the following link

[INVALID]

You Might Also Like

Anything to Stop The Show
  • April 04, 2023

Anything to Stop The Show

Moscow police attempted to interrupt an anti-war pianist's concert, going so far as to call in a bomb threat.
Concert Confusion
  • March 29, 2023

Concert Confusion

A popular singer's concerts have been canceled after being blacklisted by Russia.
Flowers for Dnipro
  • January 22, 2023

Flowers for Dnipro

Russians across the country spontaneously mourned the victims of their country's January 14 missile attack on Dnipro, Ukraine, which crushed an apartment building.
What Is Born from Fire
  • December 12, 2022

What Is Born from Fire

Russian singer Monetochka released a music video on YouTube criticizing pro-government propaganda on television.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals
[INVALID]
[INVALID]

Some of our Books

How Russia Got That Way
September 20, 2025

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.

Murder at the Dacha
July 01, 2013

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.

Driving Down Russia's Spine
June 01, 2016

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 

Fearful Majesty
July 01, 2014

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices
May 01, 2013

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.

The Samovar Murders
November 01, 2019

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.

Survival Russian
February 01, 2009

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.

Life Stories
September 01, 2009

Life Stories

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.

Russian Rules
November 16, 2011

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.

Moscow and Muscovites
November 26, 2013

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955