Russian war on Kyiv triggers wave of patriotic tattoos, inspiring billboards in Ukraine

The Russian war on Ukraine has now lasted for 26 days with evident devastation leading to a widespread humanitarian crisis. As the invading forces aggravate aggression against Kyiv, the ex-Soviet nation is witnessing a wave of patriotism expressed through inspirational tattoos and billboards. Among the most favoured are the Ukrainian flag and biblical phrases against war, the Associated Press reported.

Business in a tattoo parlour in Lviv boomed after Ukrainians rushed to inscribe patriotic-themed symbols. "This tattoo means a lot to us," 18-year-old Olena Barlevych told AP while she got a Ukrainian coat of arms with a military aircraft, symbolising Kyiv's fight against Russia.

"It is a very phase for our country, which must go down in history and passed on to future generations," she added, expressing her gamut of emotions in the tough times.

Artist and the owner of a tattoo store, Natalia Tanchynets, said that people from several parts of Ukraine have flocked to get similar tattoos as the ex-Soviet country battles against brutal Russian strikes. At her shop, she also put up a stop sign with the word "war" handwritten on it. Natalia donated 70% of her proceeds to the Ukrainian army.

Although the war has been beneficial for her business, it has come at a cost. "I am so sad about this situation in my country," Natalia told AP, adding that one of her clients was killed on the frontlines last week.

[Ukrainian Olena Barlevych gets a patriotic-themed tattoo at her workshop in Lviv, Western Ukraine, Saturday, March 19, 2022. Image: AP]

[Ukrainian Natalia Tanchynets works on a patriotic-themed tattoo at her workshop in Lviv, Western Ukraine, Saturday, March 19, 2022. Image: AP]

Meanwhile, Lviv print shop manager Yuri Kobryn said that ever since the war began, he has found creative ways to spread the message of support for Ukrainian troops. Instead of advertisements, his company has now printed biblical phrases and idioms against war, and especially for the Ukrainian army. Messages also included prayers for Ukrainian Army.

"The guys from the Army were pleasantly surprised and asked me if I could make smaller versions that they could give to others," Kobryn said.

[A worker sets up a billboard with the colors of the Ukraine flag and "Jesus, save our defenders" inscribed on it in Novoiavorisk, near Lviv, Western Ukraine, Friday, March 18, 2022. Image: AP]

Russia-Ukraine war

The developments come against the backdrop of the raging Russia-Ukraine war that began on February 24. The situation worsened as Russian forces seized strategic cities like Mariupol, Kherson, Chernobyl, and Zaporizhzhya NPP and have continued to march towards the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. Invading forces have shelled civilians and residential buildings.

As the war escalates by the day, negotiations between Ukraine and Russian delegates have turned "more realistic," according to Zelenskyy. Meanwhile, Russian and Ukrainian delegations are likely to resume talks virtually on Monday, March 21, reported the Ukrayinska Pravda media outlet on Sunday.

Raising concerns on the severe war situation in Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his video address on Sunday said, "I am ready for negotiations with him. I was ready for the last two years. And I think that without negotiations we cannot end this war. I think that we have to use any format, any chance in order to have a possibility of negotiating, the possibility of talking to Putin. But if these attempts fail, that would mean that this is a third World War." 

Meanwhile, over 900 civilians have been killed in Ukraine ever since Russia announced an all-out military attack on February 24, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said on Sunday. Separately, the UNHCR claimed that nearly ten million Ukrainian citizens have escaped abroad in search of safety or been internally displaced as a result of the Russia-Ukraine war.

(With inputs from AP)

(Image: AP)