Ukrainians pay for ‘revenge’ messages on army shells
STORY: This is a so-called "revenge message" written on a Ukrainian artillery shell.
They've become an outlet for those struggling with grief - like Yuliana Romaniv.
She paid for a shell to bear the name of her favorite uncle, Andriy.
“This is quite a personal signature. There could have been many of them, because war took away my relative, my friends, people who were exemplary to me in many ways. You feel powerless."
Romaniv is among hundreds who have donated to 'Revengefor',
a local crowdfunding website that raises money for the Ukrainian army by selling the messages.
Its raised over $67,000 so far -
and creator Oleksandr Arhat says all the messages have a story behind them...
...from friends to family - or even pets, lost in the war.
"We are not raising money for crime. We raise money to help the army that wages righteous, defensive and liberation war. So, we raise money to destroy the enemy that came on our land. Whoever considers it unfair, could just not donate."
For Iryna Palamarchuk, sponsoring a shell has been almost therapeutic.
"I am a very kind person. But I will be happy if someone suffers on their side. One to one, no more, no less. They should suffer, the same as I. I can’t take up the rifle, because I wasn’t taught to do it. But I am happy that in such a way this projectile showed them my pain and my hatred towards them."
Revengfor isn't the only website of its kind - and support for such crowdfunding groups has been growing.
Thousands have died and over a third of Ukraine's 41 million people have been forced from their homes.
Russia has repeatedly denied its forces are aiming at civilian targets, during what it calls a "special military operation".
