Belarus sanctions concerts of band ‘The USSR’, vocal supporters of pro-Russian militants in Ukraine
Musical band ‘USSR’ comes from Belarus, but performs under the Russian flag and openly supports separatists of the so called Donetsk and Luhansk republics.
The group was founded in Minsk in 2005 by the activists of the Russian Union of Afghan Veterans. The band members drive a car with Brest number plates, but spend most of the time in Moscow. Their website says that Belarus awarded them the title of the honoured band .
“Many people believe that the time will come and we will be together again: Belarus, Russia, Ukraine. After all, we all are Slavs! No borders can be an insurmountable obstacle for that … one of our songs has the words “We are the Rus derived from the Kievan Rus”. Our nations have common roots, a great story! And today we are kind of musical delegates of Belarus to the former Soviet Union,” musicians state.
The band used to sing songs about the war in Afghanistan, but when Russia annexed Crimea and unleashed the war in the east of Ukraine, it changed the direction and openly took the side of the separatists. The band visited the war-torn Ukrainian territory at least thrice and brought humanitarian aid to the militants of the unrecognized republics. During their concerts the musicians chanted: ‘Kyiv junta’ will die, but the young Donetsk People’s Republic will prosper!’
And, in spite of the band’s unsavoury reputation, their concerts all over Belarus are sanctioned by local authorities; the earliest performance is to be held on June 29 in the Belarusian city of Brest. The main hub of ideological work in region, Culture and Youth Affairs Department of Brest Regional Executive Committee, is organising the event.
