Ukraine’s Death Workers: ‘If You Take It All Close to Heart, You Go Mad’

For many Ukrainians facing Russia’s invasion, there is hope the daily battles can be won: A soldier may beat back his enemies. A rescuer might miraculously pull a survivor from rubble. A doctor could save a life.

But in one line of work, also deeply affected by this war, grief seems like the only sure end: the handling of the dead.

From gravediggers to embalmers, funeral directors to coroners, these workers carry deep psychic wounds of war — and have few others who can relate to them.

“Nowadays, I feel numb,” said Antoniy, a morgue worker in Lviv, Ukraine. “Even when someone is telling me a joke that I know is funny, I can’t laugh. My emotions are too numbed.” Read more

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