Premium| Listen to this article |
In an unusual wedding, Yaryna Arieva and her partner Sviatoslav Fursin tied the knot with the sound of air raid sirens ringing in their ears instead of the wedding bells. The couple had scheduled their wedding in early May, but moved up their plans as Russia declared war against Ukraine.
“It's the happiest moment of your life, and you go out, and you hear that. That was very scary." Arieva told CNN after her humble wedding at Kyiv's St Michael's monastery.
Arieva and Fursin had planned to get married on May 6 and celebrate at a restaurant with a "very, very cute terrace" overlooking the Dnieper river, as per the CNN report. But couple that met in 2019 changed the plans when Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a military operation in Ukraine early Thursday
"The situation is hard. We are going to fight for our land," said Arieva. "We maybe can die, and we just wanted to be together before all of that."
Now they plan to put their efforts into defending the country. "We have to protect it. We have to protect the people we love and the land we live on," she said. "I hope for the best, but I do what I can to protect my land."
They are planning to go to the local Territorial Defense Center but yet not aware what sort of tasks they would be given. "Maybe they will just give us armor and we will go and fight. Maybe we will help with something else. They will decide," she told
The couple is still uncertain what the future holds for them. "Maybe they (Russia) will just get out from our country and we will have an ability to celebrate normally," Arieva told CNN.
Never miss a story! Stay connected and informed with Mint. Download our App Now!!