The video follows the story of 14-year-old Sasha, who endured months of Russian shelling in his home village, Polish state news agency PAP reported on Thursday.
In a text accompanying the clip for Crushed, the Imagine Dragons wrote that the boy’s village had been “under occupation for five months.”
The band added that “there is nothing left,” and Sasha “survived the shelling by hiding underground in a bunker,” but “his neighbours didn’t survive.”
The Imagine Dragons wrote on social media: “Sasha's story is heartbreaking, and there are thousands more like him who desperately need help. Even today, his family is without electricity and other basic utilities.”
The pop stars urged the video’s viewers to “please consider donating” to United24, Ukraine’s official fundraising platform, and “raising your voice for this cause,” the PAP news agency reported.
Within 17 hours of being posted, by 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, the clip for Crushed had attracted 819,083 views on YouTube.
Formed in Las Vegas in 2008, the Imagine Dragons have gained international acclaim with their signature mix of pop, hard rock and alternative music, as evidenced by hits such as Believer, Thunder and Radioactive, the PAP news agency reported.
Last year, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky named the band as "ambassadors" for the United24 humanitarian project, according to news outlets.
Thursday is day 442 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
(pm/gs)
Source: PAP, Rolling Stone