Propagandist Russian Sea Shanty Video Steals Melody And Beat Of Viral 'Wellerman' TikTok

A pro-Russian government propaganda video released this past week appears to plagiarize the beat and melody from a prominent TikTok sea shanty that went viral last year.

An example of Russian propaganda with an emphasis on the whole "Z" thing. pic.twitter.com/uGDqSd9a9I

— ً (@IntelDoge) April 19, 2022

The video, which features a dancing group of women dressed in nurse costumes and two singers in vaguely military-looking navy-blue uniforms singing a capella about the glory of Russia over a driving, steady beat, struck many as uncannily familiar — not to mention bizarre.

Nothing says “Russia will defeat its enemies” like a Scottish sea shanty https://t.co/CkAQzEtkab

— 𒇷 𒁯𒅗 🇺🇦 (@Lee__Drake) April 20, 2022

Many online expressed outrage about the "hijacking" of the sea shanty for pro-war purposes.

Russia, can u not?

Sea shanty hijacked in salute to invadershttps://t.co/Mr4zKEo4na

— Kate ⚓🇺🇦 🇺🇳 (@kejamieson_) April 21, 2022

I did not have 'Russia uses pirate sea shanty as propaganda' on my bingo card. https://t.co/Cfs6oLD21e

— Eljefedsecurity going dark crypto (@ElJefeDSecurIT) April 20, 2022

The video, which was reportedly produced by pro-Russia students in one of the separatist republics in the Donbas region of Eastern Ukraine, where Russia-backed militants have been fighting the Ukrainian military since 2014, sounds almost exactly like “The Wellerman,” a Scottish sea shanty from the 19th century.

If you think this sounds like Nathan Evans' Wellerman Sea Shanty… that's because it is. pic.twitter.com/kYyTsi5Mus

— ً (@IntelDoge) April 19, 2022

"The Wellerman" describes New Zealand sailors braving a dangerous encounter with a whale. It trended on TikTok in late 2020 and early 2021, part of a tsunami wave of sea shanties that became popularized on the platform. Users Dueted with the audio or reposted it with new videos.

@nathanevanss The Wellerman. #seashanty #sea #shanty #viral #singing #acoustic #pirate #new #original #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #singer #scottishsinger #scottish ♬ Wellerman – Sea Shanty – Nathan Evans

The Z symbol, which the nurses arrange themselves in and draw in the air with decisive karate chops, is a pro-Russian war meme. At the outset of the war, several Russian military vehicles had Zs written on them and these images circulated widely online. Promoted heavily by the regime, the Z symbol has become a well-known pro-war emblem over the last two months as pro-Russia supporters sported it at protests, and the symbol has been graffitied on the houses of people who oppose the war within Russia.

The Russian Ministry of Defense notably posted on Instagram on March 3rd that the letter “Z” (which does not actually exist in the Russian alphabet, but is used in anglicized transcriptions of Russian words) stands for the Russian word for “victory.”

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A post shared by Минобороны России (@mil_ru)

The militarization of sea shanties is certainly unsettling and downright strange. The same catchy tune that stole the hearts and got stuck in the heads of TikTok scrollers around the world a little over a year ago is now being used to sell an ongoing and tragic war in which memes are deeply involved.