Days after the provocative video appeared on the web, students at the Ulyanovsk Institute of Civil Aviation got in trouble, as the local government began an investigation into the cadets’ “outrageous” behavior.
The video has divided Russian society; while some believe that they are a stain on aviation, others said that the guys were simply fooling around and asked the authorities to leave them alone, while at the same time noting that the clip was professionally edited.
Regardless, the news sparked a viral “movement” with students at colleges elsewhere in Russia recording and uploading to YouTube their own videos as a sign of support for the Ulyanovsk cadets.
Students from the agricultural college recreated the viral clip…
…and were supported by the Russian emergency service…
…and by nurses…
…followed by builder college students…
Thanks to the power of social media they have been spared expulsion. Responding to the support for the cadets, the Governor of the Ulyanovsk region posted on Facebook a statement, explaining that expelling the students would not add to their patriotism or upbringing, claiming he would meet with them and their parents to discuss the issue and make them realize the possible consequences of their behavior.
Social media users recalled that a similar video uploaded by the British military dancing to the same song in 2013 had not received such a harsh response from the authorities.
