Back in 1985, as the U.S. and the Soviet Union were in the grip of the Cold War, and the nuclear threat was looming, Sting recorded the song “Russians,” in which he sang, “What might save us, me and you/is if the Russians love their children too.” Sadly, due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the message is relevant once again, which is why he’s released a new charity version of the song.
Profits from “Russians (Guitar/Cello version)” will go to HelpUkraine.center, a volunteer storage center set up by Ukrainian business owners to receive humanitarian and medical aid from all over the world. It accepts donations of goods, as well as money to purchase products such as medicine.
“I’ve only rarely sung this song in the many years since it was written, because I never thought it would be relevant again,” Sting says in a statement. “But, in the light of one man’s bloody and woefully misguided decision to invade a peaceful, unthreatening neighbor, the song is, once again, a plea for our common humanity.”
He adds, “For the brave Ukrainians fighting against this brutal tyranny and also the many Russians who are protesting this outrage despite the threat of arrest and imprisonment — We, all of us, love our children. Stop the war.”
As Sting sings in the song, “There’s no such thing as a winnable war/It’s a lie we don’t believe anymore.”
You can watch Sting and cellist Ramiro Belgardt perform the song on YouTube.
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