Imagine Dragons Video Tells 'Heartbreaking' Story From Ukraine Front Lines

Imagine Dragons embodied the saying "art imitates life" with its most recent music video.

On Wednesday, the alternative rock band released a music video that was filmed on the front lines of war-ravaged Ukraine and tells a true story of the struggles a boy endures when returning to his hometown after it had been repeatedly shelled by Russia.

Since February 2022, the Russia-Ukraine war has captured the interest of Americans and the aid of the U.S. federal government. In addition to the United States providing funds and equipment to aid Ukraine in battle, celebrities have visited Ukraine to further political and human rights missions. Celebrities using their fame and influence to garner support for Ukraine include Orlando Bloom, Ben Stiller and U2, which performed a concert at a Kyiv subway station doubling as a bomb shelter at the time in May 2022.

Most recently, Imagine Dragons filmed a music video for the song "Crushed" at the front lines of the war as a fundraiser for United24, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's platform for charitable donations in support of Ukraine.

"Our video for Crushed, filmed on the front lines of Ukraine, is out now," the band tweeted. "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. Please consider donating to @U24_gov_ua and raising your voice for this cause."

The tweet included a link to the video and the donation page. In the video, a camera follows a Ukrainian boy as he walks through wrecked terrain and sits in a dark room with only a candle for light. As of 6:45 p.m. Wednesday EST, the tweet had been viewed more than 300,000 times.

The video earned a tweet of thanks from the Defense of Ukraine, which shared the music video in its entirety to its Twitter page Wednesday afternoon.

"This is heartbreaking. Yet this is so powerful and so important for everyone to watch. Thank you @Imaginedragons!" it tweeted.

As the video plays, text appears at the bottom of the screen, telling Sasha's story. Responses to the video included "powerful," "heart wrenching but beautiful," "touching" and "moving."

"The video was recorded [by director] Ty Arnold in Ukraine during the war, to support the country and encourage people to make a contribution to rebuilding Ukraine via UNITED24," the United24 team told Newsweek in a statement.

The link for donations is https://donorbox.org/imagine_dragons.

Arnold met Sasha while visiting Ukraine in the winter to deliver supplies to those in need, according to a report by American Songwriter. In the piece, Arnold explained how he informed Imagine Dragons band members of what he saw while in Ukraine, and the band agreed that a music video depicting the tragedies could help further the cause for support.

Newsweek has reached out to Imagine Dragons' publicist via email for comment.