Graffiti with the word "Wolverines" from the 1984 movie Red Dawn is showing up on destroyed Russian tanks in Ukraine. Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, which has kicked off a war between the two nations, with most countries around the world rallying behind Ukraine. Ukraine continues to fight off the invading Russian forces and has thus far been able to repel them in many areas, more so than was originally thought possible, given the size of both countries.

Directed by John Milius, Red Dawn was the product of Cold War hysteria in the 1980s, which imagined what it would be like if the then Soviet Union invaded the United States. The film starred Patrick Swayze, C. Thomas Howell, Charlie Sheen, Lea Thompson, Jennifer Grey, Powers Boothe, and Harry Dean Stanton as Americans in Colorado who flee to the mountains to hide from the Russians, eventually becoming an insurgent army, calling themselves "Wolverines" which is based on their high school mascot. In the film, the group begins to spray paint the name across captured and destroyed Soviet tanks and vehicles in order to show it was them who took them out while spreading the word of their deeds.

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Now, it appears that the "Wolverines" word is spreading to Ukraine, as numerous destroyed tanks and APC's are being spray-painted with the term after their destruction. It's unclear if it's Ukrainian military forces that are putting the graffiti on the vehicles or if it's locals, but the word is spreading fast throughout the region and appearing all over Russian vehicles. No word on how the Red Dawn phrase caught hold in Ukraine, but the similarities between the film and real-life are very close, even if the invasion from Russia took place in a neighboring country instead of the U.S. Check out some of the images below (via Task & Purpose)

It's not uncommon for military forces to adopt pop-culture references during warfare, which is sometimes used as propaganda and sometimes for morale. U.S. Navy SEALS have frequently adopted the classic Punisher skull emblem (as seen in American Sniper), wearing it on uniforms and spray-painting on vehicles, while other symbols have been used as a means to thwart the enemy. Hollywood has a long history of making war films from all different eras, many of which have gone on to be Oscar winners or simply classics of the genre, making the possibility of pulling everything from iconography to symbology to quotes, phrases, and beyond when involved in a real conflict.

Red Dawn was often criticized for its patriotic appeal, but that criticism dries up when actual countries at war adopt aspects of it as a sign of their struggle, which feels apropos to Ukraine in this context. The film is a staple of the 80s era, which put out many anti-Soviet Union films in that timeframe, including Rambo III, which highlighted the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan. With the Russian government falling into unfavorable light again with their invasion of Ukraine, it will surely inspire them to appear as villains yet again in a slew of projects. However, after the failed 2012 attempt to remake Red Dawn, it's best Hollywood leaves the 1984 original alone.

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Source: Task & Purpose