“We must take as much as we can from life' ❤️
On Sunday, March 6, Lesya Ivashchenko and Valeriy Filimonov, two members of the Ukrainian Defense Forces, wed at a checkpoint on the outskirts of Kyiv.
It’s not how the couple planned to get married—weeks ago, they were normal people living in the Ukrainian capital. Yet with the Russian invasion of their home country, they decided to become civilian volunteers in the army. “They want to defend our city together,” the mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko, told, a military chaplain oversaw the ceremony, and the bride and groom wore camouflage marked with the characteristic yellow band of the Ukrainian military.
As unorthodox as the wedding was, it still very much held to tradition: a bouquet was held, a veil blew in the wind, rings were exchanged, and vows were said.Ivashchenko and Filimonov have been together for over 20 years and share an 18-year-old daughter, who was able to attend the ceremony via Zoom.