War

Straight from Translation Station: A classic Soviet rock piece: “War“ - a song from 1988 from the legendary group KINO. The half-Korean lead singer for KINO, Viktor Tsoi, is thought of as the John Lennon of Russia, partly because of his songs which were critical of the establishment, and because he died at a young age, tragically, in an automobile collision. This song came out at the tail end of the Soviet-Afghan war, and like many songs of the Leningrad underground rock bands, was a war protest song. Tsoi’s impact on Soviet culture was no less profound than the impact the Beatles had in the west. People named their children after him. In Moscow, on the famous Arbat street, there is a wall dedicated to him, called the Tsoi wall, which is covered with graffiti lovingly written by his fans, who customarily leave broken cigarette lighters in memory of him.