Ukraine’s Defence Force Thanked Bluey, Shane Warne, And Australia In Official Video
"A land under attack owes much to the land down under."
The official Twitter account for Ukraine’s Defence Ministry has posted a (slightly bizarre) thank you vid for all the economic and military aid Australia has been sending since the early days of the conflict.
“World culture has long been enriched by fine Australian exports” opens the video produced by the Ukrainian Defence Ministry, before showing snippets of Kylie Minogue, Nick Cave, Crocodile Dundee, and even animated cattle dog Bluey. Steve Irwin and Dame Edna also feature in the video, alongside recently deceased cricketing king Shane Warne.
“And now Ukrainian culture is being saved by them! A land under attack owes much to the land down under!” the video continues, transitioning to an image of the Ukrainian flag featuring a superimposed cartoon kangaroo.
Australia has become a major non-NATO supplier of military aid to Ukraine. 🇦🇺 is so far from 🇺🇦, yet is one our closest partners! Our nations share a love of freedom and respect for the environment. Your weapons will help us with pest control of our fields. Thank you!
🇺🇦🤝🇦🇺 pic.twitter.com/VfIsFdyeQl— Defence of Ukraine (@DefenceU) June 29, 2022
If you’re curious about what specific gift spurred Ukraine’s social media department to commission this video, it appears to be in response to some military vehicles donated by the Morrison government back in April. Australia donated 20 ‘Bushmaster’ Protected Mobility Vehicles to Ukraine, with ex-defence minister Peter Dutton estimating the total cost of the troop transports to be over $50 million. Dutton’s stern face serves as the only Australian politician to appear in the short video.
If you’ve been following along, none of this should surprise you. Digital mediums like TikTok have already been a huge component of the war in Ukraine, which are just as susceptible to the usual distortions of truth and reality that global conflict inevitably brings.