During the occupation, Serhii, Vlad, and Artem teamed up to collect and transport the bodies of those killed in Bucha

Tattoo master, facade specialist, and ritualist — these are the professions these three had before the war. When the Russians occupied the city of Bucha, the men were united by a common cause. From the first day, taking no days off, they drove around the city and collected the bodies of the dead on the roads, from cars, near bicycles, even in shops.

Serhii was most shocked when they were taking away an elderly couple: their bodies were lying next to a car with firewood they had gathered for their needs — there was no gas, light, or water in the city. Artem remembers coming under fire in one of the yards: a woman who came out of the house to get water was killed in front of him and his companions. Until specialists arrived, the men even took mined bodies out of cars using rope. The largest number of bodies removed at a time was 38.

“We all want to quit this work. But we can’t, because it has to be done. And we can’t leave each other. God has saved us more than once and maybe it was so we could do this,” Vlad shared. When it’s all over, he promises to draw sketches for tattoos — they will be the same for all three volunteers.