Songs about the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the war with Russia: the best Ukrainian wartime music
Ukraine’s long war with Russia, smoldering since 2014 and erupting into full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022, has created an entire playlist of its own — a catalog of wartime songs.
This selection is not about so-called “Bayraktar-style hits” — cheap attempts to cash in on the military theme.
These are the songs stitched together hastily from buzzwords and slogans, usually low-quality and, worst of all, dishonest.
And in order not to drown in the flood of AI-generated music, we’ve chosen only those works that truly grab you by the heart — with substance, high-caliber music, and live human energy.
These songs come in every shade — ironic and punchy, heartfelt and tragic — but they’re all about us.
They’ve become the soundtrack of our fight, the spark of creativity in the pause between air-raid sirens, the flavor of coffee in a volunteer kitchen, the anthem of charity concerts around the globe, and the symbol of small daily victories.
So here’s what comes straight from the heart.
«armageDRONE» (VUS dj)
armageDRONE is a track about UAV crews and FPV pilots from Ukrainian multi-instrumentalist DJ VUS
It’s a brazen, ironic, and irresistibly groovy story of a drone operator dishing out trouble to the occupiers to a hard-driving funk-rock beat.
The mood hits you right from the first lines:
«My drone’s called Anton the beetle — brings Armageddon in his needle
He’s wedding-style, yet packed with blast, makes Ivan dance and spin so fast.»
This is proof that a war song doesn’t have to be tragic or pompous. It can be life-affirming — even laced with dark humor, where a smile and a shot of adrenaline march in step.
«You still owe us for the dam, for Donbas and mother-in-law’s jam
For Crimea, Irpin, and Shahed nights — I’ll pluck out your Moscow lights.»
«Enemies to the Knife» (Wellboy)
Enemies to the Knife is a stylish, rhythm-charged, and unexpectedly uplifting wartime anthem
Singer Wellboy, first known for playful hits like Geese and Cherries, continues to create even in the darkest hours.
This track is a masterful mix of light dance grooves, folk overtones, and a serious call to arms.
«Mother, don’t ask why your son now roams afar
We live as Grandfather Taras said we are.
We fight — and win — our land will be all right.
Just don’t ask me, mother, when goes that bright night.»
«Oh, the Red Viburnum in the Meadow»
Oh, the Red Viburnum in the Meadow — a timeless anthem of defiance
In spring 2022, with the enemy at Kyiv’s gates, a single video shook the world: Andriy Khlyvnyuk singing an old Ukrainian song on Sofia Square.
In an instant, Oh, the Red Viburnum rose from the dust of history and became the hymn of national resistance.
Ukrainians at home and in the diaspora echoed it in unison:
«Oh, the red viburnum in the meadow bows so low
Why has our proud Ukraine been struck by grief and woe?
We will lift that crimson flower to the sky —
And cheer our glorious Ukraine — hey, hey, she’ll never die!»
The roots of this song reach deep — back to the Cossack era of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, to the folk ballad The Steep Banks Have Overflowed. In the early 20th century it was sung by Sich Riflemen and later by the soldiers of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army. That ancient spirit of defiance awoke instantly, as if carried in the nation’s genetic memory.
«We Won’t Forget and We Won’t Forgive» (SKOFKA)
The only rap track on our list, We Won’t Forget and We Won’t Forgive is raw and unadorned — a pulse of rage at crimes committed by Russian invaders.
No soaring melodies here, only that hollow thump in the chest you feel when you look at your shattered hometown.
«We won’t forget, we won’t forgive,
The sun still shines — but skies don’t live.»
«Wild Steppe» (YARMAK)
Wild Steppe from Yarmak & ALISA is a truly authentic Ukrainian wartime anthem
Rapper YARMAK, who himself joined the fight to defend Ukraine, composed this piece in a powerful Ukrainian ethno style.
As the artist recalls: “I realized the boys needed a battle song — so I wrote it while on duty. It’s a magical mantra, a deep incantation: ‘Let death pass by the brave!’”
«Not kettle-drums — my heart beats in my chest,
No laurels in the bells — our strength’s in people, blessed!»
«City of Mary» (О. Е.)
Svyatoslav Vakarchuk dedicated City of Mary to Mariupol — a symbol of indomitable courage and unbearable tragedy in the early months of the war.
The song premiered in April 2022, while defenders of Azovstal were still holding the line
Though its hurried production left certain musical questions, the track — together with the documentary 20 Days in Mariupol — stands as a creative monument to those who endured hell on earth.
«Forever shall it stand, this righteous place of Mary,
While proud Azov’s horizon greets the rising sun so airy.»
«Hey, Falcons!» (Oleksandr Ponomariov & DZIDZIO)
Hey, Falcons! is old Ukrainian military
This 19th-century Ukrainian military song spread far beyond Ukraine, finding popularity in Poland, the Czech lands, and Slovakia.
In 1999, Hej, sokoły was featured as the soundtrack of the famous film With Fire and Sword.
While traditionally sung in a lively manner, this tender rendition by two of Ukraine’s finest voices — Khoma and Ponomariov — carries a more heartfelt message.
Addressing our soldiers as “falcons,” the song has become a plea from the home front for them to take care of themselves, a symbol of unity between those who fight and those who wait.
«AFU Will Help» (Chico & Qatoshi)
AFU Will Help is high-energy track became the battle-song
Beginning in May 2022, it often accompanied viral drone and artillery strike videos — images of precision, courage, and revenge.
The musicians from Chernivtsi could hardly have expected millions of YouTube views.
Yet the line “The orc’s body hits the ground — the Armed Forces will help” became a rallying cry of that first brutal year.
Drove off in a tractor — came back with tanks to sell.
Don’t ask me where I got them — I won’t tell.
I’ll haul them to the field, to give to our brave crew —
No better gift than steel to aid the AFU.
This list is only a glimpse of the vast musical tribute to Ukraine’s defenders. Each track is a page in the living chronicle of our long war.
Different in style, tempo, and mood, together they form a sonic diary of courage, grief, and defiance.
Wartime songs prove that even in our hardest hours, Ukrainians turn pain and anger into cultural jewels — forging music that carries both memory and hope.
© Ihor Kuksenko / «Songs about the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the war with Russia: the best Ukrainian wartime music»
