As Ukraine continues to grapple with the aftermath of war, the French game of pétanque has become an unexpected source of mental health relief for seniors and veterans. We have this club,” says Svitlana Brukhovetskaya of Irpin, Ukraine. But when you come here…you forget everything, and it is wonderful.” – Tetiana LiednovaPétanque in Ukraine provides unlikely source of reliefMore than three years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the French game pétanque has become an unlikely, but important, source of relief for Ukrainian seniors. To her, pétanque was “a great instrument for community.”One year after the city was liberated, the Irpin pétanque club hosted the country’s annual championships for adults over the age of 55. They did so in collaboration with the Ukrainian Federation of Pétanque – which hosted the country’s first pétanque championships for veterans this year.