I mean, it ain’t sipping a piña colada on the beach, that’s for sure…
A Ukrainian couple, Yaryna Arieva and Sviatoslav Fursin, is spending their honeymoon in uniform, fighting against the Russian army and protecting their home country.
They got married on the day Russia invaded, and rather than the traditional “Wedding March” playing in the background, 21-year-old Yaryna walked down the aisle with the sound of air raid sirens ringing outside of Kyiv’s St Michael’s monastery a week ago.
When the attacks first started, Yaryna’s mother called around to see if there were any priests that would marry them without an official marriage certificate, which is rare in Ukraine, but one obliged given the circumstances. They pushed the date up from May to get it done as quickly as possible.
Yaryna told CNN about just how terrifying it was, knowing that they could potentially be killed, but wanting to go ahead with the ceremony so they can be together for as long as they can barring any tragedy with the ongoing war:
“That was very scary. It’s the happiest moment of your life, and you go out, and you hear that. It’s hard to understand, this new reality that we have.”
She added that they’ve (somehow) been able to remain hopeful through it all:
“No one here is saying that we will lose, or is crying. Everyone here believes we will win. It’s all just a question of time.
So, I am very happy to see this great amount of people, really being ready to fight. Being ready to kill for their land. Having no doubt about our win in this war.”
She also told Fox News that in addition to remaining hopeful, they’ve managed to keep their sense of humor about the situation, as well:
“People here are absolutely sure that we will win. It’s just the question of time. And also we are laughing at Russians.
We are making jokes, telling anecdotes… not only about Russians but about the situation.”
Her new husband, 24-year-old Sviatoslav, was born in Lviv, and says that all of the people in Ukraine are willing to fight to keep their freedom intact. He’s part of the Territorial Defense Forces, and has been assisting on a variety of missions over the past week or so.
He also adds that he’s looking forward to the day that Ukrainians can be:
“All in one place and drink a good glass of wine. And say to everybody, ‘Hurray, war is ended, we won.'”
For Yaryna, she just wants to spend a real honeymoon smoking, renovating her flat, and one day, having a normal and calm family life.
While it’s hard to fathom such a young couple starting off a marriage this way, it’s just another example of the incredible fighting spirit of the people in Ukraine… and whenever they finally get to have that glass of wine and a cigarette, they damn sure deserve it.
