KarunaNews Story

In an art studio in Kyiv, Iryna Farion finishes an oil painting that shows two intertwined trees held together by their roots. “I feel like it’s me and my husband, who was killed in the war,” Farion says. “They are like two souls, like two hearts, like one body.” Since her husband, IT specialist Oleksandr Alimov, died in December in the war Russia launched against Ukraine nearly 17 months ago, she has found some consolation in an art therapy project called “Alive. True Stories of Love.” The project was launched in January by Olena Sokalska, who lost her husband years ago in a car accident. When she spoke to AP reporters in June, approximately 40 widows were participating in the art project. Local artists volunteer their time to guide the women. A Facebook community for the project has over 1,000 participants.