A Ukrainian couple were married near a checkpoint on the outskirts of Kyiv amid Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
Lesia Ivashchenko and Valerii Fylymonov, Ukrainian territorial defense members, tied the knot on Sunday. The bride was seen carrying flowers and wearing a white veil during the ceremony.
“We decided to get married because we live in challenging times, and you never know what’s going to happen to you tomorrow. That’s why it is better do it sooner than later,” Fylymonov, the groom, said, as translated in a video from The Guardian.
The couple said they have been together for more than 20 years, but they were never officially married until this week.
“We decided – who knows what will happen tomorrow – we should get married in front of the state, in front of God,” the bride said.
Until the ceremony, she had not seen Fylymonov since the start of Russia’s invasion.
Vitali Klitschko, the mayor of Kyiv, also attended the wedding on Sunday. He shared a video from the event on Twitter.
Сьогодні вітав бійців одного з батальйонів тероборони столиці Лесю та Валерія. Вони давно живуть в цивільному шлюбі, а тепер вирішили обвінчатися. Церемонія відбулася поруч з одним із блок-постів.
Життя триває! І життя Києва, киян, нашої держави ми будемо захищати! pic.twitter.com/ys2kNN12Ws
— Віталій Кличко (@Vitaliy_Klychko) March 6, 2022
The couple’s 18-year-old daughter watched the ceremony on a video call, according to The Washington Post. Rev. Dmytro Karan presided over the ceremony, and flower petals dropped from a drone overhead after the couple was married.
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Former Ukrainian heavyweight boxing world champion Wladimir Klitschko also congratulated the couple after the ceremony.
Russia’s military said it would hold fire and allow Ukrainian citizens to flee through humanitarian corridors. However, some of the evacuation routes would bring civilians towards Russia and Belarus, a move Ukrainian officials have called “unacceptable.”
Contributing: Associated Press
A Ukrainian couple were married near a checkpoint on the outskirts of Kyiv amid Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Lesia Ivashchenko and Valerii Fylymonov, Ukrainian territorial defense members, tied the knot on Sunday. The bride was seen carrying flowers and wearing a white veil during the ceremony. “We decided to get married because we live in challenging times, and you never know what’s going to happen to you tomorrow. That’s why it is better do it sooner than later,” Fylymonov, the groom, said, as translated in a video from The Guardian. The couple said they have been together for more than 20 years, but they were never officially married until this week. “We decided – who knows what will happen tomorrow – we should get married in front of the state, in front of God,” the bride said. Until the ceremony, she had not seen Fylymonov since the start of Russia’s invasion.Vitali Klitschko, the mayor of Kyiv, also attended the wedding on Sunday. He shared a video from the event on Twitter. Сьогодні вітав бійців одного з батальйонів тероборони столиці Лесю та Валерія. Вони давно живуть в цивільному шлюбі, а тепер вирішили обвінчатися. Церемонія відбулася поруч з одним із блок-постів.Життя триває! І життя Києва, киян, нашої держави ми будемо захищати! pic.twitter.com/ys2kNN12Ws— Віталій Кличко (@Vitaliy_Klychko) March 6, 2022The couple’s 18-year-old daughter watched the ceremony on a video call, according to The Washington Post. Rev. Dmytro Karan presided over the ceremony, and flower petals dropped from a drone overhead after the couple was married. World: Ukrainian couple married the day Russia invaded. Now they’ve joined the fight.Politics: What is an armistice? Here’s what you need to know during talks between Russia and Ukraine.Former Ukrainian heavyweight boxing world champion Wladimir Klitschko also congratulated the couple after the ceremony. Russia’s military said it would hold fire and allow Ukrainian citizens to flee through humanitarian corridors. However, some of the evacuation routes would bring civilians towards Russia and Belarus, a move Ukrainian officials have called “unacceptable.” Contributing: Associated Press