Sting wrote "Russians" during the Cold War, a tense time when Russia and the United States felt threatened by the nuclear missiles they had pointed at each other. His lyrics rhetorically ask if Russians love their children too, and question why the Russians and the Americans would participate in the Cold War.
The melody was inspired by Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev's Romance melody from the Lieutenant Kije Suite (compiled from the 1933 film Lieutenant Kije).
To Americans, Russia was the "Evil Empire" out to destroy them. This song finds compassion amid the rhetoric, a viewpoint rarely heard at the time. Not everyone agreed with Sting's sympathetic stance. Police drummer Stewart Copeland is the son of a CIA operative and had a very different outlook. But as Copeland explained, no matter how cogent his arguments, Sting could refute them with an indefensible lyric like "Russians love their children too." Said Copeland, "You can't argue with a poet."
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