Polish rock group dedicates song to Ukraine's freedom fighters

This morning I received a Skype message that tugged (well, tore) at my heart.

It was from Orest, in Ukraine. He originally emailed me a few months back, soliciting support for his charity, and we ended up connecting on Skype.

His English and my Ukrainian are at about par, so our conversation was a bit rough around the edges.

However, this time I could understand him just fine.

He shared a song with me, and this message:

In Ukrainian:

І крилами лелеки, повернуться живі!
Мати, син, калина, лелека - святі речі для кожного українця.
Слухаючи цю пісню нагортається сльоза.
Пісня "Біля тополі" з документального фільму "Рейд" Відомий польський гурт Enej присвятим воїнам, що загинули за свободу та незалежність України, пісню. 

English translation:

And on the wings of a stork, return alive!
Mother, son, kalyna, the stork – these are sacred things to all Ukrainiansю
This song will bring tears to your eyes.
It is called "Near the Poplar" from the documentary film "Raid."
The famous Polish group Enej (Aeneas) dedicated this song to the soldiers who died fighting for the freedom and independence of Ukraine. 

Having never heard of this film, I decided to see what I could find out about it. What I found out surprised me ... Raid is about the popular video game World of Warfare.

In the video below, the young man speaking before the song starts reminds me very much of a "Cyborg" I visited in a Kyiv hospital last spring. His name is Vadym. He was caught in an ambush during a real-life raid in Debaltseve. He survived, fortunately, albeit without his arm and both legs.

I'll share his story here soon. In the meantime, enjoy the song that Orest sent, in memory of those who did not survive the real-life raids unleashed on Ukraine by their Russian "brothers."

The song is Біля Тополі - Near the Poplar, by Polish group Enej (Aneas) joined by popular Ukrainian artist Taras Chubai.

Слава Україні ... Слава героїм!