In war-torn Ukraine, tattoos and billboards are popular for their patriotic messages.
Customers at Lviv’s tattoo parlor love to add symbols and the Ukrainian flag.
Olena Barlevych (18 years old) recently had a tattoo that depicted the Ukrainian coat-of-arms with a military plane, which symbolizes her fight for her country.
Barlevych stated that the tattoo meant a lot to him. It is an important stage in our country’s history that must be preserved and passed on to the next generation.
Natalia Tanchynets, artist, has had clients travel from all over Ukraine to get similar tattoos. She stated that 70% of her patriotic tattoos’ proceeds are donated to the Ukrainian Army.
Tanchynets stated that she has experienced a variety of emotions over the surge of patriotism at her shop. It was a red stop sign with the word “war” written on it.
The war has been great for her business, but Tanchynets is sad about the current situation in her country. Tanchynets reported that one of her clients was killed at the front lines last week.
Yuri Kobryn, manager of Lviv’s print shop, said that he initially believed his business which creates advertising billboards would not be used in wartime. Since then, he has come up with creative ways to help the Ukrainian troops.
Kobryn’s company prints motivational messages for his country, especially for the Ukrainian army, instead of advertising. Some of these messages are religious and ask for protection for the troops.
Kobryn replied, “The army guys were pleasantly surprised” and asked if I could make smaller versions so they could share them with others. “So they can help us in our victory.”
In February, Russia invaded the smaller country to its southwest. Both sides are said to have lost thousands of people, and there is no sign of an end to hostilities despite many rounds of diplomatic negotiations.
