Love in the time of war: Ukrainian couple gets married amid attacks

A Ukrainian couple got married at Kyiv’s St Michael’s monastery with air raid sirens in the background, as Russia attacked Ukraine on Thursday.

Talking to CNN, the bride said: “That was very scary. It’s the happiest moment of your life, and you go out, and you hear that.”

Previously, their wedding was scheduled to take place on the terrace of a restaurant in front of Dnieper River in May. However, they had to change their plans as Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. They decided to get married as early as possible because of the uncertainty of the future.

Yaryna Arieva, 21, works as a deputy in the Kyiv City Council, and her partner, Svyatoslav Fursin, 24, is a software engineer. They met each other in October 2019 during a protest in Kyiv.

The married couple is ready to join Territorial Defence Centre to defend their country. Yaryna Arieva said, “We have to protect it. We have to protect the people we love and the land we live on.”

“I hope for the best, but I do what I can to protect my land,” she added.

“We maybe can die, and we just wanted to be together before all of that,” said the bride who wants to be with her partner while defending their country, Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale military invasion by sea, land, and air on Thursday.

According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the Russian troops are targeting civilian and military zones with their strikes.

According to the head of the UN refugee agency, Filippo Grandi, more than 50,000 citizens in Ukraine have taken refuge in Poland and Moldova. While some have taken shelters in the subway stations and basements.