Slava Ukraini!

A song about War in Ukraine

Welcome to regular readers and new subscribers! Thank you for joining me for today’s song, “Slava Ukraini” by Artur Rehi (2022). Below, you’ll find my interpretation of the lyrics which are written in italics and a YouTube video of the song below the article. For Japanese students, vocabulary words in bold are provided in Japanese below. TOEIC (PBT) 450+, Eiken 2, CEFR B1.

(434 words)

In February of 2014, Russia moved its military into the Crimean area of Ukraine and declared it part of Russia. Ukraine has been fighting to stop Russia’s occupation that began in 2022. The conflict is now the largest in Europe in recent history. It has produced millions of refugees in neighboring countries. This has put stress on governments such as that of Poland which provides health services to over a million people escaping the war. (1) The war has caused hundreds of thousands of deaths.

The occupation by Russia has been condemned internationally.

The title of the song is Slava Ukraini which means “Glory to Ukraine”. Kate Tsurkan wrote an interesting article on the history of the phrase (at https://kyivindependent.com/the-origins-of-slava-ukraini/)

In early March 2023, a video surfaced online showing the execution of a Ukrainian prisoner of war. The unarmed soldier’s last words were “Slava Ukraini” – a Ukrainian national salute that means “Glory to Ukraine” – before he was shot multiple times and collapsed to his death.

The song begins by showing everyday people. A kalishnikov is a kind of rifle. A molotov is a kind of weapon made from a bottle, a liquid that burns, and some sort of cloth wick.
There’s a teacher holding a kalashinov
You can see the flame in her eyes
There’s a bus driver with a molotov
You can see the flame in his eyes
There are families without fathers
You can see the flame in their eyes

The “bear” in the next line refers to Russia.
The bear has removed its disguise
You can see the flame in my eyes

“Flame” in this song can refer to many things. The “flame” from a kalashnikov comes when the rifle shoots. The flame produced by a molotov is what causes damage to what it hits. The flame from these things is reflected in the eyes of the people holding the weapons. The families who are suffering have a “flame” in their eyes which could be the flame of anger or of determination to hold on to their country.

Slava Ukraini…

Please don’t shoot us any more
There’s a cry from my father
Please don’t shoot us any more
There’s a cry from the people
Please stop this war
I don’t want to mourn my country
I don’t want to mourn my sons
To mourn means to feel or show deep sadness about the loss of a person or something important to you.

Slava Ukraini is a slogan that has been taken up in support of the Ukrainian people in their fight to hold onto their country.

Slava Ukraini!

Ukrainian flag (Wikimedia Commons, public domain)

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Leaving a comment is a good way to practice your writing skills.

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Vocabulary
declare 宣言
occupation 占領
condemn 非難
execution 処刑
salute 敬礼
collapse 崩壊
kalashnikov カラシニコフ
molotov モロトフ
disguise 変装
determination 決意
mourn 哀悼の意を表す

Sources:

Kardas, P., Babicki, M. Et. Al. War in Ukraine and the challenges it brings to the Polish healthcare system - The Lancet Regional Health – Europe, Vol. 15. (April 2022). https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanepe/article/PIIS2666-7762(22)00058-8/fulltext Accessed 27 Feb 2025.

Shahi, D. K. (2025, October 12). War in Ukraine a geopolitical analysis. Academia.edu. https://www.academia.edu/80711019/War_in_Ukraine_A_Geopolitical_Analysis . Accessed 27 Feb 2025.

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