On February 23, the concert choir of St. Petersburg sang a song titled "On the Wages of Servicemen" in St. Isaac's Cathedral. The song, which was written in 1980 by Andrei Kozlovsky and is about a nuclear submarine preparing to bomb America, was sung during a celebration of Defender of the Fatherland Day. It went: "On a submarine with a nuclear motor – yes, with a dozen 100-megaton bombs… I called to the gunner: 'Set the target to Washington city'… In the skies is my friend Vovochka… and his hatches aren't empty… I'm sorry, America… Five hundred years ago, you were discovered in vain… Burn in half the land of adversary!" The choir's performance came amidst tensions between Russia and the U.S. surrounding American withdrawal from the INF Treaty after accusing Russia of violating the agreement. This video was uploaded to the Internet on February 25, 2019 and the performance went viral among Russian social media users.
Lyrics: On a submarine with a nuclear motor – yes, with a dozen 100-megaton bombs. I crossed the Atlantic and called to the gunner: "Set the target on Washington city, Petrov!" True la la, true lala, I can do everything for three rubles! Hello, new land of adversary!
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And on the airplane, in the skies, is my friend Vovochka. He came to visit, and his hatches are not empty. On a submarine with a nuclear motor – the crew sang a funny song. True la la, true la la, we can do everything for three rubles! You will burn the land of adversary!
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Sweetly nap in Norfolk lights on the shore – sleep tired toys, negroes sleep quietly. I'm sorry, America – good America! But five hundred years ago, you were discovered in vain. True la la, true la la, I can do everything for three rubles! Burn in half the land of adversary! True la la true la la, I can do everything for three rubles! Burn in half the land of adversary!