Of all the performers in the clip, it was unclear who, exactly, was a member of the military or a civilian. However, an orchestra with the Ukrainian Armed Forces Navy was depicted on screen and listed in the video's YouTube caption, proving that at least some participants were military members. Additionally, a commander leading Ukraine's defense of Mykolaiv was mentioned in the video's acknowledgements.
In May 2023, a Bollywood-style video started going viral on Twitter and Telegram that allegedly showed members of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Reverse-image search results revealed that the the New York Post also covered the topic.
Feed this cringe directly into my veins. Ukraine is now producing war propaganda in the style of Bollywood dance videos. pic.twitter.com/5LYZdKBxwy
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) June 10, 2023
The claim was true; At least a portion of the people depicted on screen were military members. The video was recorded in Mykolaiv, Ukraine, and was first published online on May 20, 2023, by the YouTube account for TPK MAPT — a television and radio network. The video was intended as a parody of the Oscar-winning "Naatu Naatu" song from India's "RRR" movie, a controversial film set in pre-independent India that was released in 2022.
Coincidentally, the original scene in "RRR" had been shot right outside the Mariinsky Palace, official residence of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in 2021, months before Russia's invasion of the country. Numerous Indian news outlets shared the 2023 parody video depicting members of Ukraine's Armed Forces.
The parody showed a military ceremony, with lyrics that directly referenced Russia's invasion of Ukraine. According to English subtitles, the lyrics included phrases such as, "There is no use to negotiate with terrorists, because terrorists only understand the language of force," and "so will Putin have to back off, hide in Kremlin, and to fuckov." It also showed Ukrainian soldiers dancing, operating drones, and singing, "Russian orcs will keep complaining, saying they are fighting NATO" and "those are just some lame excuses."
The parody video's caption on YouTube stated that a military orchestra, three dance groups, and the Mykolaiv Vocational College of Culture participated in the video. The Military Orchestra of the 406th separate artillery brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Navy was visible in the recording and shared the parody video on its Facebook page. Dmytro Marchenko, the former head of one of the Armed Forces' departments and a commander leading Ukraine's defense of Mykolaiv, was mentioned in the acknowledgements, although he wasn't depicted on screen. Moreover, the logo visible at the end of the video — a blue shield and yellow shield with an eagle — suggested that members of the military approved the video.
Jane Fedotova, the vice president of Liberal Democratic League of Ukraine, was among the first people to share the parody video on Twitter, writing, "In the original scene [from 'RRR'], the main characters express their protest against the British officer (colonizer) for not allowing them to meet with a song" and "the Ukrainian version is against the Russian Federation."
Військові з Миколаєва зняли пародію на пісню #NaatuNaatu з 🇮🇳 фільму "RRR", головний саундтрек якого виграв Оскар цього року.
У оригінальній сцені гол.герої піснею виражають протест проти британського офіцера (колонізатора) за те, що він не пустив їх на зустріч. pic.twitter.com/bVbfwdjfj1
— Jane_fedotova🇺🇦 (@jane_fedotova) May 29, 2023
