Ukrainians turn to tattoos to ease grief from war

When Natalia Lipei pulls up her sleeve, the 66-year-old Ukrainian pensioner reveals a colourful tattoo: a winged sword, symbolising the air-assault unit her son Viktor served in before he was killed in 2022 fighting Russian forces.

"It felt like when I got it, my child would always be there," she said, pulling her forearm closer. "He wouldn't be in heaven, where he is now, but near me."

Ukrainians like Lipei have turned to tattoos as a way to heal the deep emotional wounds of war, commemorating fallen loved ones or lost homes through vivid images, words or symbols.

Fighting has raged for nearly four years, killing hundreds of thousands and ravaging vast swathes of land. There is no end to the conflict in sight as Russia grinds forward on the battlefield and attacks Ukrainian cities with missiles and drones.

For 31-year-old Elona Leleko, whose village in southern Ukraine remains occupied by Russian forces, the coordinates of her home tattooed on her arm are a powerful reminder of the life she left behind.

"I don't know when I'll return there, or if I'll make it there at all ... But I know that part of my home is here," said Leleko, who now lives in the capital Kyiv, touching her right elbow and fighting back tears.

Before getting the tattoo, she said she suffered nightmares.

The nightmares have since disappeared.

Europe's largest conflict since World War Two has forced countless Ukrainians to navigate complex traumas for which there are no easy remedies.

Kyiv-area resident Taisa Kryvoviaz, 35, whose boyfriend was killed last year fighting in eastern Ukraine, found solace in tattooing meaningful phrases on her body: "Under the wings of an angel", in Ukrainian, under her heart; and "I am strong", in English, on her wrist.

Both symbolise the sense of support she said she felt from the fallen company commander, who before his death had urged her not to cry if he were killed.

"I was seeing a psychologist, and frankly, I didn't get even one percent of the relief I did when I made a tattoo," said Kryvoviaz. "I really felt things get easier on my soul."