Bayraktar (song)

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"Bayraktar"
Song
LanguageUkrainian
Released1 March 2022 (2022-03-01)
Recorded28 February 2022 (2022-02-28)[1]
GenreFolk
Length
  • 2:20 (YouTube)
Songwriter(s)Taras Borovok

"Bayraktar" is a Ukrainian patriotic military propaganda[2] song released on 1 March 2022 during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Dedicated to the Baykar Bayraktar TB2 combat drone due to its successful deployment against Russian troops, the song is written by Ukrainian soldier Taras Borovok, and mocks both the Russian Armed Forces and the invasion itself.

The song got positive critical acclaim from journalists, and received a humorous Oscar from the Ukrainian Ground Forces. "Bayraktar" is played frequently on Ukrainian radio, and sung by Ukrainians in protests.

Background[edit]

A Bayraktar TB2 of the Ukrainian Air Force

The song is dedicated to the Turkish Baykar Bayraktar TB2 combat drone,[3] which was used by the Ukrainian Army during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[4] The use of the drones is reported to have slowed the Russian advance into the country.[5]

The song was written and composed by Ukrainian soldier Taras Borovok.[6] In an interview to Turkish press, Borovok said that he received a request from the Armed Forces of Ukraine to prepare a video about Bayraktar on the day the invasion began, but he decided it would be better to write a song instead. It took him "15 to 20 minutes" to write the lyrics, and "1.5 to 2 hours" to complete the whole song.[7][8] Speaking to Euronews, Borovok said that the goal of the song was to "influence people, keep morale high and reduce Russian influence." He also pointed out that the song is propaganda.[9]

Lyrics and music video[edit]

"Bayraktar" was uploaded to YouTube on 1 March 2022. It has been named a patriotic propaganda and folk song by media outlets.[10][9][11] The lyrics praise the Bayraktar drones and talk about how they serve as a punishment to the invading Russian Armed Forces.[3][10] The song also mocks the Russian Army itself, the equipment used by them, their invasion of Ukraine, and the soup they consume.[12] In numerous music videos, the song is accompanied by footage taken by a Bayraktar TB2's gun camera, showing strikes on columns of Russian equipment in the territory of Ukraine.[13]

Reception and legacy[edit]

Spencer Kornhaber from The Atlantic called the song "very catchy", emphasizing its "simple beat".[12] Antoni Aguera from Última Hora named it an "iconic resistance song".[14] Jochen Siemens of Stern said that the music video, showing explosions, is "one of the most haunting you've ever seen", but added that the song was sung "almost happily and confidently."[15] On the day of the 94th Academy Awards, the Ukrainian Ground Forces awarded the music video of the song with a "humorous"[16] Oscar in the category Best International Feature Film via Twitter.[17]

The song became a symbol of resistance in Ukraine.[18] Taner Doğan of the London School of Economics said that both the song and the drone had "developed a special relationship" between Ukraine and Turkey, and that the release of the song was "perceived with pride by pro-government Turkish media."[19] According to the Algemeen Dagblad, the song is one of the things that shows that Selçuk Bayraktar, the chief technology officer of Baykar, is the "second-biggest hero" of Ukraine after Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.[6] "Bayraktar" is repeatedly played on Ukrainian radio stations,[12] and is sung by Ukrainians during protests against the invasion,[20] as well as by soldiers in the front lines.[14] The song has been translated into several languages, while several remixes also exist.[21][22] It has been shared on the official Facebook page of the Ukrainian Ground Forces.[3]

An online radio station playing war songs has been named after the Bayraktar drone due to the popularity of the song.[23] According to Gabriel Gavin from The Spectator, the song had over a million views on YouTube before being taken down.[24] A college professor in Bilohirsk, Crimea, was fired in September 2022 for playing the song in the auditorium of the school.[25]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Історія війни у піснях офіцера Боровка: від «Байрактара» до нашої Перемоги залишилося написати ще 15!
  2. ^ Bayraktar: Armed with just a guitar, meet the man helping Ukraine resist Russia
  3. ^ a b c "'Bayraktar!': Ukrainian army shares song celebrating Turkish-made drone fighting back at Russian invasion". The New Arab. 2 March 2022. Archived from the original on 3 March 2022. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  4. ^ "Ukraine credits Turkish drones with eviscerating Russian tanks and armor in their first use in a major conflict". Business Insider. 28 February 2022. Archived from the original on 7 March 2022. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
  5. ^ "Ukraine's Secret Weapon Against Russia: Turkish Drones". Time. 1 March 2022. Archived from the original on 4 October 2023. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
  6. ^ a b Guy Van Vlierden. "'Bayraktar! Bayraktar!' Hoe een Turk de tweede grootste held van Oekraïne is geworden". Algemeen Dagblad (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 5 March 2022. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  7. ^ Burak Doğan (20 March 2022). "Bayraktar için yapılan şarkı herkesin dilinde: Şarkıyı 2 saatte yazdım". Yeni Şafak (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 3 May 2022. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
  8. ^ "Хіт про "Байрактар" написав кадровий військовий, і він вже готує наступну прем'єру". Television Service of News (in Ukrainian). 8 March 2022. Archived from the original on 12 March 2022. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
  9. ^ a b Stefan Weichert (23 May 2022). "Bayraktar: Armed with just a guitar, meet the man helping Ukraine resist Russia". Euronews. Archived from the original on 8 June 2022. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
  10. ^ a b Kimberly Johnson and Meg Godlewski (13 April 2022). "Turkish Bayraktar Drone Inspires Song of Ukrainian Resistance". Flying. Archived from the original on 5 June 2022. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
  11. ^ Paul Benjamin Osterlund (12 April 2022). "Amid war fears, Ukraine stocked up on Turkish defence equipment". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 23 April 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  12. ^ a b c Spencer Kornhaber (10 March 2022). "The Military Weapon That Has Become a Musical Touchstone in Ukraine". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on 11 March 2022. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
  13. ^ "Ascolta 'Bayraktar', la canzone che l'esercito ucraino ha dedicato ai droni da guerra". Rolling Stone (in Italian). 3 March 2022. Archived from the original on 5 March 2022. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  14. ^ a b Antoni Aguera (24 May 2022). "Una canción de resistencia desde el frente". Última Hora (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 3 June 2022. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  15. ^ Jochen Siemens (10 April 2022). ""Bayraktar" und "F*ck Putin": Auch die Musiker der Ukraine ziehen in den Krieg". Stern (in German). Archived from the original on 8 June 2022. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  16. ^ Michael Starr (30 March 2022). "In 'Ukrainian military Oscars,' Ukraine mocks Russia and promotes its army". The Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on 22 April 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  17. ^ Mia Jankowicz (30 March 2022). "Ukraine official poses with creator of Bayraktar drones, calling them 'super-weapons' for destroying so many Russian tanks". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 1 April 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  18. ^ Tanmay Kadam (10 April 2022). "Bayraktar, Bayraktar! Ukraine's Song On Turkish TB-2 Drones Have Become A Symbol Of Resistance For Kiev". EurAsian Times. Archived from the original on 14 August 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  19. ^ Taner Doğan (22 July 2022). "What Ukraine's viral drone song says about modern day warfare and resistance". London School of Economics. Archived from the original on 22 July 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  20. ^ Dave Philipps and Eric Schmitt (11 March 2022). "Over Ukraine, Lumbering Turkish-Made Drones Are an Ominous Sign for Russia". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 12 March 2022. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
  21. ^ Leleu, Patrick (27 May 2022). "Composée par une Lotoise, une chanson pour l'Ukraine devient un hymne de résistance" [Composed by an artist from the French southwest, a song for Ukraine becomes a hymn of resistance]. La Dépêche (in French). Archived from the original on 28 May 2022. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  22. ^ Yulia Rudenko and Yuri Zoria (22 March 2022). "Ukrainians love the Turkish combat drone Bayraktar so much they wrote a song about it". Euromaidan Press. Archived from the original on 24 April 2022. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  23. ^ Matthew Gault (4 April 2022). "Ukraine Has Written a Folk Song About Its Drone". Vice. Archived from the original on 11 April 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  24. ^ Gabriel Gavin. "Could Turkey rejoin the West?". The Spectator. Archived from the original on 10 March 2022. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
  25. ^ Aliona Mazurenko (15 September 2022). "A professor turned on the Bayraktar song in front of students in occupied Crimea: he was fired". Ukrainska Pravda. Archived from the original on 17 September 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2022 – via Yahoo! News.
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