A popular Ukrainian singer has vowed to “fight” for his country as thousands of civilians take up arms against Russian forces.
Andriy Khlyvnyuk, the lead singer of BoomBox, said it was “time to take the rifles” after Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of the country last week.
BoomBox have released nine albums and amassed more than 100 million views on YouTube. They perform in Ukrainian, Russian and English but have refused to play in Russia since the annexation of Crimea in 2014.
Трішки мотивації від лідера гурту «Бумбокс» Андрія Хливнюка 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/VQFdRjahGF
— ВОЇНИ УКРАЇНИ🇺🇦 (@ArmedForcesUkr) February 28, 2022
“I’ll take my kids to a safe house, to granny’s,” Mr Khlyvnyuk told Euronews. “And then I’ll return to follow the instructions of the government and if it’s needed I’ll take my gun and go fight for my country.”
Mr Khlyvnyuk said he had received “complete support” for his country from fans across the world.
“Musicians are peacemakers,” he added. “But not it’s not time for playing guitars. It’s time to take the rifles.”
In a clip posted to Twitter, which has now gone viral, Mr Khlyvnyuk is seen dressed in military uniform on the streets of Kyiv and singing a song to rally his compatriots.
Mr Khlyvnyuk is among a string of Ukrainian popstars, athletes and celebrities who have joined the resistance against the Russian invasion.
Anastasiia Lenna, a former Miss Grand Ukraine, was pictured holding an assault rifle on Instagram and vowed that “everyone who crosses the Ukrainian border with the intent to invade will be killed”.
Former heavyweight boxing champions Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko also revealed last week that they would serve on the frontline.
Heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk has also returned to Ukraine to fight against the Russian army.
He said: “We are here in our own country, we cannot do it other way – we are defending… Stop it! Stop this war.”
Russian and Ukrainian forces were engaged in heavy fighting over the weekend ahead of the widely expected assault on the capital.
A Ukrainian delegation is due to meet the Russians “without precondition” on Monday on the border with Belarus, although President Volodymyr Zelensky has indicated he sees little prospect of any meaningful dialogue.
