Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday made a surprise video appearance appeared at the music industry’s star-studded Grammy Awards celebration in Las Vegas to deliver a passionate speech, calling for help in its fight against Russia.
War broke out in Ukraine on February 24 after Russian military forces invaded, displacing millions of civilians and reducing cities to rubble. Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a “special operation.”
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Actor-turned-wartime-leader Zelenskyy, 44, appearing unshaven with a T-shirt, has since the war began appeared in videos pleaded with allies in speeches at the U.S. Congress, Japanese National Diet, British and Australian parliaments and Israeli Knesset.
On Sunday, he chose an event dedicated to the universal language of music to spur support for his country.
Grammys partnered with Global Citizen and the international campaign, Stand Up for Ukraine for the special segment.
Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. said in a statement before the show that he hopes the segment “inspires our worldwide audience to get involved to support these critical humanitarian efforts.”
“What is more opposite to music? The silence of ruined cities and killed people,” Zelenskyy speaking from a bunker in Kyiv appeared on video filmed within the last 48 hours after he was introduced by host Trevor Noah.
In his speech, Zelenskyy drew the connection between music, the importance of the medium and how it combats the silence that can lead to more death.
He expressed;
The silence of ruined cities and killed people. Our children draw swooping rockets, not shooting stars. Over 400 children have been injured and 153 children died. And we’ll never see them drawing. Our parents are happy to wake up in the morning. In bomb shlters, but alive. Our loved ones don’t know if we will be together again. The war doesn’t let us choose who survives and who stays in eternal silence.
Zelenskyy stressed;
Our musicians wear body armor instead of tuxedos. They sing to the wounded in hospitals, even to those who can’t hear them. But the music will break through anyway. We defend our freedom to live, to love, to sound. On our land, we are fighting Russia, which brings horrible silence with its bombs. The dead silence. Fill the silence with your music. Fill it today, to tell our story. Tell the truth about the war, on your social networks, on TV. Support us in any way you can, but not silence. To all our cities the war is destroying … they are legends already. But I have a dream of them living.
He ended by reminding views of the importance of living free, “free like you on the Grammy stage.”
The short video was reportedly filmed within the last 48 hours, and was presented just before John Legend‘s performance of “Free,” which featured Ukrainian musicians Siuzanna Iglidan and Mika Newton, and poet Lyuba Yakimchuk.
Chris Pizzello/AP
Russia’s attack on Ukraine have upended all aspects of life in the country, including a thriving music community that had grown since the 2014 revolution.
Watch the video below;
