Some of Russia’s top celebrities have recorded a song in support of President Vladimir Putin ahead of elections later this month.
Putin is expected to secure an overwhelming victory in the March 18 vote in which the authorities’ main goal will be to increase the turnout, pundits say.
In a song titled “Guiding Star,” some of the most recognizable names in Russian pop music, including singer Grigory Leps, Eurovision winner and pop star Dima Bilan and rapper Timati, encourage Russians to vote for the incumbent.
The video, which first appeared on the “Putin Team” VKontakte social media page on Wednesday, had been viewed some 11 million times by Thursday morning.
The “Putin Team” movement was founded in November 2017 by NHL hockey star Alexander Ovechkin. A slew of famous musicians, actors and athletes have joined the group since.
Here is a selection of the lyrics:
“Our ship sails with pride towards the wind and waves, and will not be veered off course by storms and rain.”
“The ocean of life can be difficult, but our native shores keep us safe.”
“Out of a million stars, only one is true, only one is visible: the guiding star.”
“We are stronger together, if the guiding star is with us, showing us the way.”
The rap portion of the song goes on to say:
“Let these lyrics fly around the country, it’s time to do something, instead of sitting in silence.”
“Make a choice, double the success, play for a strong team.” [Editor’s note: In Russian, the word for “choices” is also the word for “elections.”]
This is not the first popular video to call for Russians to vote in the elections. Last month, a three-minute video went viral which painted a dystopian future in which a 52-year-old man dreams that he is drafted into a multi-ethnic army, harassed by his communist son for donations and forced to limit his daily number of bathroom visits.
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