The famous pop rock band, Imagine Dragons, helped rebuild the home of a Ukrainian boy who starred in one of their music videos after learning it was destroyed in the war.
Lead singer Dan Reynolds, guitarist Wayne Sermon, bassist Ben McKee and drummer Daniel Platzman joined forces with UNITED24 to help the 15-year-old they featured in their music video for the hit song, “Crushed.” UNITED24 is a platform launched by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to collect donations for his citizens. The entire restoration of Sashko’s home was covered, and the young boy and his mother were presented with keys to their rebuilt home this Dec, according to a video posted to the band’s Instagram page.
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The band’s song was about losing everything after Russia declared war in Ukraine. The video for “Crushed” became a huge success largely due to the real-life story of loss and tragedy that Sashko represented, United24 said in the video.
Through their shared experience, the band learned more about how the young boy and his mother were forced to contend with the complete destruction of the place they were meant to find comfort and safety in, and they became suddenly displaced, the video said.
It remains unclear where he was staying for the past year. (RELATED: ‘These Beasts, Scum’: Russian Celebs, Media, Ripped For Ultra Elite ‘Almost Naked’ Party)
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Ty Arnold, Director of Photography for Imagine Dragons, met with Sashko during a trip to Ukraine, according to the video. He took time to learn about the young boy’s journey and the horrors Sashko faced amid the crisis in the region. His survival story inspired him not only to create the music video, but to find a solution that would better the child’s life and he began the task of working towards the restoration of his home.
The war between Ukraine and Russia continues at this time.