Announcement
An Ink-Match announcement carried by NewswireJet in June 2023 described tattoo designs that people used to express support for Ukraine after Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022. The release attributed its selections to Mark Arago of Ink-Match and discussed the stories behind three motifs.
One was the tryzub, Ukraine's trident coat of arms, used as a national symbol in wartime designs. Another was the phrase associated with the defenders of Snake Island, often paired with an outline of the island. Contemporary reporting from Ukrainian tattoo studios documented interest in national symbols, traditional motifs, and references to the defenders' words.
The release also included the Ghost of Kyiv. The figure was a wartime legend, not a verified single pilot with the combat record claimed in the original promotional text. Ukraine's air force subsequently described the character as a symbol of its pilots. This archive retains the motif's place in the tattoo story without repeating the legend as a factual biography.
The linked 2022 reporting provides independent context on wartime tattoo designs. This page summarizes a historical announcement and does not reproduce its unverified popularity rankings, personal claims, or account of individual military actions.
Source and further information
Bird in Flight's 2022 reporting on Ukrainian wartime tattoos