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They say love always finds a way even in the darkest days . . . Amid the bloodshed of the Russian invasion, Ukrainian soldiers Lesya Ivashchenko and Valeriy Filimonov put their guns down for a short while so they could tie the knot.
Flanked by soldiers armed with grenades and missiles and journalists in bulletproof vests, the couple wed beside a busy road at a checkpoint on the outskirts of the capital, Kyiv.
While the traditional wedding gown and suit were out of the question, Lesya did manage to have a white veil on her head and held a beautiful bouquet of white roses as she and her groom exchanged their vows dressed in their military fatigues.
An army chaplain was on hand to officiate at the Christian orthodox ceremony.
Afterwards they enjoyed a small party complete with a champagne toast and wedding cake. But this wasn't how they'd planned to get married.
Just a few weeks ago they were ordinary citizens living in the Ukraine capital. Yet in the wake of the Russian invasion, they were among the thousands of civilian volunteers who heeded the call of their president to join the army.
For these two, who have been together for 20 years and have a daughter, Ruslana (18), it was a given that they'd join the military reserve and fight together.
“They want to defend our city together,” the mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko, told The Washington Post.
“We have no intention of giving it away to the enemy,” Valeriy says.
“I’m happy we are alive, that this day started, that my husband is alive and he’s with me,” Lesya told reporters after the ceremony.
“We must take as much as we can from life,” added her new husband.
Sources: vogue.com, nypost.com
