A Ukrainian couple have tied the knot in a military-style wedding at a check-point near Kyiv.
The mayor of Kyiv – and former world heavyweight boxing champion – Vitaliy Klitschko, was among the guests.
As war ripped their country apart, a pair of Ukrainian civilian soldiers became forever bonded by love.
Dressed in military fatigues, Lesya Filimonova and Valeriy Filimonov were married in Kyiv on Sunday — flanked by soldiers armed with grenades and missiles and journalists in bulletproof vests, the Washington Post reported.
The emotional nuptials were held at a checkpoint off the side of a busy road amid Russian’s blood-thirsty invasion of Ukraine.
The bride wore a veil with her camouflage, the groom donned a military helmet — and both sported yellow armbands designating them as members of the country’s Territorial Defense Forces.
The couple, who had not seen each other since the beginning of the war late last month, joined the military reserve “because here we have everything we love, and we have to defend it,” said Filimonova. “We have no intention of giving it away to the enemy.”
The traditional Orthodox ceremony included spreading incense and a military helmet foisted over Filimonova’s head — in lieu of the customary crown.
The newlyweds’ daughter, Ruslana, 18, watched via video call.
“It is hard to call it unconditional happiness in this situation, but we surely feel uplifted,” the bride said.
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
When the couple kissed, the crowd erupted with patriotic fervor.
“Glory to the family! Glory to the family! Glory to Ukraine!” they shouted, according to the report. “Glory to heroes! Glory to the nation! Death to the enemies! Ukraine above all!”
