KYIV, UKRAINE -- Ukrainians are marking their patriotism with new tattoos as more evidence emerges of how Russian forces have targeted male civilians.
āMen were detained, beaten, summarily executed and, in some cases, taken to Belarus and Russia,ā UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said in to the UN Security Council. āAs of 4 May, my office had documented 180 such cases, of which five victims were eventually found dead.ā
But in Kyiv, tattoo artist Ruslan Tsvetnov says attacks on civilians havenāt deterred a surge of clients looking to get patriotic symbols like the Ukrainian trident.
āI warn them of the risks of getting one,ā he told CTV National Newsā National Affairs Correspondent Omar Sachedina. āItās a visible target for the enemy.ā
That doesnāt faze Viktor, who was getting a tattoo at Tsvetnovās studio.
āUkraine is part of me and I am part of it,ā he told CTV National News.
Ana Sybirska has a new tattoo with a clear message: āRussian warship go f*** yourself.ā Those words commemorate a Ukrainianās soldierās reply when asked to surrender to a ship believed to be the now-sunken Moskva.
People are now starting to return to the capital, where Sybirska has stayed through the war. She says she travels to the frontlines with friends to deliver medical supplies and equipment and will do so for as long as it takes.
āNo one knows whatās going to happen,ā she told Ā鶹“«Ć½, referring to Russiaās president. āWho knows what this crazy man [Putin] will do?ā
