As Lesya Filimonova and Valeriy Filimonov defended their Ukraine homeland against the Russian onslaught, the civilian soldiers committed to each other in a wedding ceremony at a Kyiv checkpoint on Sunday.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko was on hand to congratulate the pair, the BBC reported in the clip below.
“It is hard to call it unconditional happiness in this situation, but we surely feel uplifted,” Filimonova told the Post afterward.
“I’m happy that we are alive, that this day started, that my husband is alive, and he is with me,” Filimonova said, per ABC. “We decided who knows what will happen tomorrow. We should get married in front of the state, in front of God.”
Filimonova headed a scout organization and Filimonov led a tech company before the Russian invasion prompted them to join the Territorial Defense Forces, the Post noted. They have an 18-year-old daughter who watched via a video connection.
According to the Post, the ceremony struck a patriotic pitch when the couple kissed and the audience cried out: “Glory to the family! Glory to the family! Glory to Ukraine! Glory to heroes! Glory to the nation! Death to the enemies! Ukraine above all!”
A drone released flower petals from the sky and attendees sang the Ukrainian national anthem.
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