To Serve Russia
| "To Serve Russia" | |
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| Song | |
| Language | Russian |
| Genre | March |
| Songwriter | Eduard Khanok |
| Lyricist | Ilya Reznik |
| Music of Russia | ||||||||
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| Nationalistic and patriotic songs | ||||||||
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"To Serve Russia" (Russian: Служить России, romanized: Sluzhit' Rossii) is a Russian patriotic song written in the early 2000s.
Creation
"To Serve Russia" was written by composer Eduard Khanok (Эдуа́рд Хано́к) and lyricist Ilya Reznik (Илья Peзник) in the early 2000s.[1][2]
The first public appearance of "To Serve Russia" occurred on 10 November 2000 for Police and Internal Affairs Servicemen's Day, sung by Nikolay Baskov (Николай Басков) at the Grand Kremlin Palace.[3]
Usage
Russian Federation
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An instrumental variant of the song, adjusted for marching cadence was featured in the 2008 Moscow Victory Day Parade (Парад Победы в Москве), celebrating the triumph of Russia[a] over Nazi Germany.[4] In each subsequent Victory Day parade, the song has been played during the infantry column precession.[5] In recent years, "To Serve Russia" has also been included in performances of the Alexandrov Ensemble.[b][6][7]
"To Serve Russia" was adopted as the official anthem of the Young Army Cadets National Movement following its establishment in 2016.[8][9]
North Korea
In North Korea, both the original song, as well as a derivative with Korean lyrics are increasingly popular.[10] In 2009, a recording with the original Russian lyrics was performed by the State Merited Chorus and Symphony Orchestra of the Korean People's Army, alongside other patriotic songs from Russia and China.[11] In July 2023, during the visit of Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu to North Korea for the 70th Day of Victory, the song was performed in a concert, alongside other contemporary Russian songs.[12][13]
For the 2024 visit by Vladimir Putin to North Korea, an instrumental fife and drum variant was played by the band of the State Affairs Commission during a concert in the Pyongyang Indoor Stadium.
In October 2025, during a parade celebrating the 80th anniversary of the Workers' Party of Korea, a contingent of Korean People's Army soldiers of the Overseas Operation Battalion who took part in the Kursk offensive marched to "To Serve Russia" with joint Russian and North Korean colours, returned from Kursk Oblast.[10] Dmitry Medvedev was present at the parade.
In November 2024, a derivative of "To Serve Russia", with Korean lyrics was performed by the State Merited Chorus during the National Defence Development; 2024 exhibition in Pyongyang. While the song maintains the march composed by Eduard Khanok, the lyrics are changed to match North Korean military ideology (Juche), named "To Serve the Motherland and the People" (조국과 인민을 위하여 복무함).[c] On 25 April 2025, the song was used as a centrepiece composition for the launch of the North Korean destroyer Choe Hyon.
Transnistria
A variant of the song with minor changes has been adopted by the Armed Forces of Moldova's unrecognized breakaway region of Transnistria (officially the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic) as "To Serve the Fatherland" (Russian: Служить Отчизне).[14][15]
Lyrics
Russian original
| Cyrillic script | Romanization of Russian | IPA transcription[d] |
|---|---|---|
I |
I |
1 |
English translation
I
The regiments stand like a wall, marching straight and tall,
And the banners fly proudly
Commander and private, are bound by one fate
We are bound together, my friend
Chorus:
To Serve Russia, is our destiny
To Serve Russia—the amazing country,
Where the new sun rises on a blue sky
Shoulder to shoulder walk Russia's fighters
And even if the road becomes uneasy,
We will with faith and truth serve Russia!
II
We fearlessly attack to save Russia's flag,
And our homes and our songs
And if trouble comes near, then we will volunteer
To protect the fatherland, my friend
(Chorus)
III
The regiments stand like a wall, marching straight and tall,
And with us is all of Russia
And he, and you, and I—an army family,
And that is what makes us strong, my friend!
(Chorus)
See also
Notes
- ↑ As the continuator state to the Soviet Union
- ↑ Also known as the Red Army Choir
- ↑ Not to be confused with a song of the same name performed by Moranbong Band in 2014.
- ↑ See Russian phonology and Help:IPA/Russian.
References
- ↑ "Текст". www.ilya-reznik.ru. Retrieved 2024-09-18.
- ↑ Graham, Seth (2003). "The Wages of Syncretism: Folkloric New Russians and Post-Soviet Popular Culture". The Russian Review. 62 (1): 37–53. doi:10.1111/1467-9434.00262. ISSN 0036-0341. JSTOR 3664557.
- ↑ AlekaRigby (2014-02-24). Николай Басков "Служить России", "Набукко" 10.11.2000 День милиции. Retrieved 2026-05-28 – via YouTube.
- ↑ "Russia celebrates victory in World War II as Putin accuses the West of fueling global conflicts". AP News. 2024-05-09. Retrieved 2024-09-18.
- ↑ RedSamurai84 (2016-05-24). Central Military Band of Russia Documentary Фильм о Военном Оркестре России. Retrieved 2024-09-18 – via YouTube.
{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ↑ "Along the main street with an ensemble | Russia Beyond The Headlines". 2012-07-11. Archived from the original on 2012-07-11. Retrieved 2024-09-18.
- ↑ The Red Army Choir - To Serve Russia - hitparade.ch, retrieved 2024-09-18
- ↑ сегодня, СБ-Беларусь (2016-09-01). "Песня Эдуарда Ханка "Служить России" стала гимном движения "Юнармия"". www.sb.by (in Russian). Retrieved 2026-05-28.
- ↑ "Гимн Юнармии | Юнармия песня | Служить России Юнармия". xn----7sbbh2anlceprr4nta.xn--p1ai (in Russian). 2023-07-22. Retrieved 2026-05-28.
- 1 2 Асмолов, Константин (2025-10-14). "On the 80th Anniversary of the WPK". New Eastern Outlook. Retrieved 2026-05-27.
- ↑ Tolasodonga (2022-02-09). "조선인민군공훈합창단 CD곡목집". 우뢰소리 울리는 곳 (in Japanese). Retrieved 2026-05-27.
- ↑ "Патриотические песни на русском языке прозвучали на концерте в Пхеньяне". russkiymir.ru. Retrieved 2026-05-27.
- ↑ "Международная академия информатизации". iiaun.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2026-05-27.
- ↑ "В честь 24-й годовщины образования Вооружённых сил Приднестровской Молдавской Республики прошло торжественное собрание — Официальный сайт Министерства обороны ПМР". mopmr.org (in Russian). Archived from the original on 2026-05-27. Retrieved 2026-05-27.
- ↑ "Оркестр главного штаба Вооруженных сил ПМР, исполняя музыкальные произведения, пройдет по центральной площади Тирасполя | Происшествия | MOLDOVAinform". moldovainform.md. Retrieved 2026-05-27.
External links
