Thanks to an article in the British tabloid The Mirror, a 2012 YouTube video of young men dressed as Russian soldiers, marching and singing the 1990s pop music hit “Barbie Girl,” is now a viral hit, with more than 660,000 views. The Russian website Paperpaper.ru contacted one of the participants, who turns out to be a reserve officer in training (not a conscript or professional soldier), and learned what other songs they performed.
According to Artem Grigoryev, a reserve officer in training and a student in the mathematics and mechanics department at St. Petersburg State University, the school’s drill sergeants were “more liberal” than most, and allowed students to choose their own repertoire. Grigoryev says the marching drills became a sort of competition, where groups competed to perform the most “unconventional music.”
According to a reserve officer in training in another drilling group, other students at the same university in 2012 performed music by Pink Floyd, Lady Gaga, and even Spongebob Squarepants. Students also sang various Russian songs.
“It cheered up everyone. Even the conscripts would look out the windows of the barracks and start making requests,” Grigoryev said.