Imagine Dragons release ‘heartbreaking’ music video filmed on the front lines of Ukraine

‘Our video for “Crushed”... follows Sasha, a young boy who endured months of shelling in his town,’ band wrote

Imagine Dragons have released a music video for their single “Crushed” featuring visuals from the front lines of Ukraine.

Announcing the release on Twitter, the American rock band wrote: “Our video for ‘Crushed’, filmed on the front lines of Ukraine, is out now. It follows Sasha, a young boy who endured months of shelling in his town.

“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 band then shared a link to U24 – Ukraine’s official fundraising platform – urging listeners to donate.

“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. We hope people will consider donating to UNITED24 and raising their voices for this cause,” lead singer Dan Reynolds said in a statement.

“‘Crushed’ tells the true story of a 14-year-old boy named Sasha. Russian forces occupied his village for five months until Ukrainian freedom fighters finally liberated it,” cinematographer Ty Arnold added.

“Nevertheless, the conflict left his home, school, and surrounding neighborhood in ruins. He only survived the shelling by taking refuge in an underground shelter.

“The visual details his unbelievable story of perseverance as he walks through the wreckage. It ends with a still shot of the boy with the words, ‘And like so many others, Sasha and his family hope to rebuild their home. They are still here.’”

This week, the UK is taking over Eurovision hosting duties for Ukraine, which won the European song contest last year.

As last year’s runner-up Sam Ryder put it: “It’s Ukraine’s party. We’re just inviting them to throw it at our house.” Several thousand Ukrainian refugees in Britain received tickets to attend.

Find out how to watch this year’s semi-final and Grand Final here.