A tiny glimmer of hope during the devastating war situation in Ukraine: BILD takes part in a moving moment of happiness between heavily armed soldiers near Kyiv.
In the midst of war, destruction, but also the courage to fight: a wedding at the front!
Lesya and Valerij have been together for a long time, fighting in a civil defense unit these days. Their wedding date had been set for a long time – but they decided to keep it and tie the knot today.
Postpone the wedding because of Putin? It’s out of the question! They celebrate life and love.
Bridal couple and guests wear uniforms – camouflage instead of wedding dresses and tuxedos. But there is cake, champagne, flowers and even traditional music from the kobsa, a Ukrainian stringed instrument.
The bride is happy, “but my heart is crying,” she says. She usually looks after groups of children with the boy scouts, and now all “her” children are on the run, as is her daughter (18).
Despite the adverse circumstances, luck is also there next to this military checkpoint in front of Kyiv. But bomb attacks stopped the first attempt that day to hold the ceremony. Lesya and Valerij were only able to say yes to each other an hour later.
And there is also a celebrity guest: boxing legend Wladimir Klitschko (45), the younger brother of Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko. “Life goes on no matter how,” he says. That is the message of this touching wedding. “The Russians destroy, we stand for life, creation, creativity.”