Amid war, Ukrainian couple gets married on barricades of Kyiv

Former WBO heavyweight champion and Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko, as well as his brother boxer Wladimir, came to congratulate the newlyweds

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War could not stop Lesia Ivashchenko and Valerii Fylymonov from getting married on Sunday, as the pair tied the knot at the barricades in Kyiv.

The pair has been together for 22 years and has an 18-year-old daughter, but decided to finally formalise their relationship with the ceremony on the Ukrainian capital’s defence line.

“We decided — who knows what will happen tomorrow — we should get married in front of the state, in front of God. And we have an adult daughter, and I think she’s happy that we finally did it,” Lesia said after the ceremony.

Cars are left abandoned on a road as residents flee the town of Irpin, Ukraine after days of heavy shelling. Reuters

A Ukrainian soldier helps a family fleeing from Irpin. Reuters

A bus passes the Duke of Wellington statue, which has a traffic cone in the colours of the flag of Ukraine placed on top of it, in Glasgow, Scotland. AP

Ukrainian children sleep at the reception point at the train station in Przemysl, Poland. Reuters

Smoke rises as a Ukrainian soldier stands by the only escape route used by locals to flee from the town of Irpin. Reuters

A man flees from Irpin. Reuters

A screengrab from footage released by the Russian Defence Ministry shows a purported Russian tank unit advancement in the Kyiv region. AFP

People walk on debris of residential buildings damaged by shelling in the Zhytomyr region. Reuters

A damaged residential building after Russian multiple rocket launchers shelled the area in the southern city of Mykolaiv. AFP

Ukrainian soldiers sit in their armoured vehicle after fighting against Russian troops and Russia-backed separatists near Zolote village, Luhansk region. AFP

A woman offers accommodation for people fleeing Ukraine at the main railway station in Berlin, Germany. Getty Images

A soldier holds a helmet as a wedding crown during the ceremony for members of the Ukrainian Territorial Defence Forces Lesia Ivashchenko and Valerii Fylymonov, at a checkpoint in Kyiv. AP

Ukrainian soldiers carry a woman fleeing the town of Irpin. AP

A factory and warehouse burn after being bombarded in Irpin. AP

Ukrainian soldiers near Zolote. AFP

A Ukrainian refugee boy, wearing a blanket on his shoulders, warms his hands with a gas heater shortly after crossing the Siret border into northern Romania. EPA

People demonstrate against the Russian military operation in Ukraine in Buenos Aires, Argentina. EPA

First responders work at the scene after a missile hit a building at Havryshivka Vinnytsia International Airport in Vinnytsia, Ukraine. Reuters

A woman at a checkpoint on the road to Kyiv after her evacuation from a nearby town. AFP

A placard in the Ukrainian colours is held up at an anti-war demonstration the Bebelplatz square in Berlin, Germany. Reuters

A Ukrainian serviceman helps an elderly woman in Irpin, 20 kilometres north-west of the capital Kyiv. AP Photo

Protesters cry during a demonstration in support of Ukraine at the Plaza Catalunya square in Barcelona. AFP

A man walks past a machine gun at a checkpoint next to the last bridge on the road that connects the town of Stoyanka to the outskirts of Ukraine's capital Kyiv. AFP

Ukrainian servicemen put a wounded man on a stretcher in Irpin. AP Photo

People board a train to return to Ukraine after getting supplies in Zahony, Hungary. AP Photo

Balloons in the colors of Ukraine during a demonstration against the Russian attack on Ukraine, in Mainz, Germany. AP

A Ukrainian girl helps to weave a camouflage net for the Ukrainian army, in Odesa. EPA

Molotov cocktails prepared by a group of volunteers in Odesa. Hundreds are made every day. EPA

Ukrainian servicemen assist people fleeing the town of Irpin after crossing the Irpin River on an improvised path under a bridge that was destroyed by a Russian air strike. AP Photo

A woman holds a dog while crossing the Irpin River on an improvised path under a bridge that was destroyed by a Russian airstrike, while assisting people fleeing the town of Irpin, Ukraine. AP Photo

Marina Yatsko and her boyfriend Fedor comfort each other at a hospital in Mariupol after her 18-month-old son Kirill was killed by shelling. AP Photo

Ukrainian civilians receive weapons training in a cinema in Lviv, western Ukraine. AP Photo

Residents flee the town of Irpin, near Kyiv, Ukraine. AP Photo

Ukrainian soldiers carry a sick woman as civilians flee Irpin, on the outskirts of Kyiv, after Russian attacks. AP Photo

Captured Russian soldiers at a press conference in the Interfax news agency in Kyiv, Ukraine. AP Photo

Ukrainians beneath a destroyed bridge in Irpin. AP Photo

A woman fleeing Ukraine on a bus near the border crossing in Korczowa, Poland. AP Photo

A Ukrainian soldier and a militia man help a fleeing family on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 5, 2022. AP Photo

Smoke rises after shelling by Russian forces in Mariupol. AP Photo

People at a hospital during shelling by Russian forces in Mariupol. AP Photo

Displaced Ukrainians at the Resurrection New Athos Monastery in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv. AFP

She left her job when the war with Russia started and joined territorial defence forces to defend her district on the outskirts of Kyiv.

Lesia had not seen Valerii since the beginning of the Russian military operation until they were reunited for the ceremony on Sunday, as they were sent to different areas.

“I’m happy that we are alive, that this day started, that my husband is alive, and he is with me,” she said after the wedding ceremony right on the defensive line in Kyiv.

“We are determined to push back the enemy and take back our lands and win,” said the happy bride.

“I expected to have a very modest ceremony. I thought we’ll just, will say ‘yes' to each other. It was a surprise from my brothers in arms and our commanders that they decided to set it up to show that despite everything we believe in future and life is going on,” she said.

Former WBO heavyweight boxer and Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, as well as his brother boxer Wladimir, came to congratulate the newly-weds.

The pair aren’t the first to tie the knot. On Friday, Dmytro Shybalov and Anna Panasiuk set aside their worries over Russia’s attacks and got married at the city’s civil registration office.

They met seven years ago in Donetsk, in the middle of the conflict between Russia-backed separatists and Ukrainian government forces.

Less than two months before Russian troops entered Ukraine last month, Dmytro proposed to Anna.

They planned to marry during the summer but brought their plans forward, believing they wouldn’t get a better opportunity later.

“Who knows what will be next, so we decided to do it now,” said Dmytro.

The newly-married couple work as volunteers for civil organisations and plan to stay in Kyiv despite Russia’s advance towards the capital.

More than 1.5 million people have now fled Ukraine since the fighting started on February 24.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin gave a warning that the continuing resistance is putting Ukrainian statehood in jeopardy and compared the West’s sanctions on Russia to “declaring war “.

Shelling has been growing more intense in recent days as Russian forces seek to break defensive lines and seize major cities. Two attempts at humanitarian ceasefires at the weekend to allow civilians and the wounded to flee the port city of Mariupol failed as fighting raged.