As war continues to tear apart Ukraine, a Ukrainian couple who volunteered to join the country’s Territorial Defense Forces got married Sunday in a field near a Kyiv checkpoint while surrounded by fellow soldiers.
The bride, Lesya, wore a veil, and the groom, Valeria Fylymonov, wore his military helmet instead of the traditional Orthodox marriage ceremony crown, while both wore camouflage and yellow armbands designating them as part of Ukraine’s TDF.
“We decided to get married because we live in challenging times, and you never know what’s going to happen to you tomorrow,” Fylymonov said, as translated in a video from the Guardian. “That’s why it is better do it sooner than later.”
The couple has reportedly been together for more than 20 years, living in a civil marriage. Prior to the wedding, they had not seen each other since the war began.
“We decided — who knows what will happen tomorrow — we should get married in front of the state, in front of God,” Lesya said.
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Vitali Klitschko, the mayor of Kyiv, attended the wedding and shared a video of the event on his Twitter account.
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
“Today I greeted the soldiers of one of the battalions of the capital’s defense of of the capital Lesya and Valeria,” Klitschko wrote. “Life goes on! And we will protect the life of Kyiv, Kyivites, our state!”
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Following the traditional Orthodox ceremony, the crowd sang and chanted patriotically.
Ukrainian soldiers tie the knot in Kyiv amid Russian invasion
Two Ukrainian soldiers got married on Sunday at a checkpoint at one of the entrances to Kyiv. Their wedding was attended by the city’s mayor Vitality Klitschko.#StandWithUkraine #VitaliKlitschko #UnitedWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/JJZlwdSKfM
— KyivPost (@KyivPost) March 7, 2022
“Glory to the family! Glory to the family! Glory to Ukraine!” they shouted. “Glory to heroes! Glory to the nation! Death to the enemies! Ukraine above all!”
