The tune was branded “Russian propaganda” by Ukraine after two schoolgirls shot to fame performing it on TikTok

A Russian military choir has recorded its own version of the viral hit song ‘Sigma Boy’. 

The video, which has been making rounds on social media, shows the servicemen singing the song in uniform.

The performance is interspersed with clips of Russian soldiers operating different weapons systems in a combat environment, as well as footage from the annual World War II victory parade in Red Square. 

The new lyrics are about “the real sigma boy,” who is “strong and brave” and “will soon return home with victory.” The video was uploaded online ahead of Defender of the Fatherland Day, a public holiday which Russia celebrates on February 23. 

Russian military choir sings 'Sigma Boy' pic.twitter.com/fk0vefARHs

— Clash Report (@clashreport) February 21, 2025

The catchy tune, originally recorded by Russian schoolgirls Betsy (Svetlana Chertishcheva) and Maria Yankovskaya, became popular on TikTok and made it into Billboard’s top ten dance hits after its release in October 2024. The song is about a popular boy “every girl wants to dance with.” 

READ MORE: Russian schoolgirls hit Billboard’s top ten

Nela Riehl, an Afro-Ghanian member of the European Parliament from Germany, branded the song “a viral Russian trope,” which “communicates patriarchal and pro-Russian worldviews.” 

On February 7, Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation claimed that the track was “part of a wider information warfare” and an element of Russia’s “soft power.”