Rising domestic violence is a hidden front in Ukraine's war

Picture of Liubov Borniakova, in Dnipro, Ukraine, May 9, 2023. Borniakova, an alleged victim of domestic violence by her husband, died in January, her body badly bruised. Borniakova's husband, Yakov Borniakov, could not be reached for comment. REUTERS/Alina Smutko

DNIPRO, Ukraine (Reuters) - When the body of 34-year-old Liubov Borniakova was found in her home in the city of Dnipro in central Ukraine in January, it was marked with 75 bruises, according to the coroner's report.

Her husband, Yakov Borniakov, had been laying low inside their apartment during the previous month, after deserting from the army, according to Borniakova's aunt and a neighbour. He got drunk and beat Borniakova repeatedly during the two weeks before her death, they told Reuters.