A newly wed Ukrainian couple, Yaryna Arieva and Sviatoslav Fursin, defied honeymoon and joined army to defend their country against Russian invasion.
On the other hand, a video showing Ukrainian staying back to fight for his country, while sending his family- wife and daughter- to a safe zone has left many heartbroken worldwide.
This was in compliance with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s martial law imposed in the country following Russian invasion, banning Ukrainian men between the ages of 18 and 60 from leaving the country.
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Reports have it that the couple got married few hours after Russia had launched its invasion of their country on Thursday morning, February 24 and spent their first day of marriage collecting their rifles to defend Ukraine.
Yaryna and Sviatoslav instead of going for honeymoon, went straight to the armory and collected rifles issued by the Ukranian Ministry of Defence to able bodies adults who were ready to fight for the country.
Read also: Russia launches military onslaught for full-scale Ukraine invasion
The couple say they were supposed to wed in May but decided to shift it forward because they ‘were no longer sure of what their future holds.’
They both signed up with the Territorial Defense Forces, a branch of Ukraine’s armed forces that is comprised volunteers.
Once armed, the couple headed to the office of their political party, the European Solidarity.
“Right now, we are here and we are doing everything we can. So, there is a lot of work to do, but still, I hope everything will be OK,” Arieva said, adding that some civilians who are not part of the defense force were also given rifles.
“There are some places you can get them, and you just sign the papers, and you can go and protect your country,” she said.
“That’s the situation right now.”
However, in an emotional video, the man was seen kissing his little girl goodbye, patting her on the head and trying hard to hold back his tears. But as his daughter hugged him, he too was seen breaking down as he tried to comfort her.
Finally, the girl along with her mother was seen boarding the bus, presumably heading for a safe zone, as the man was seen placing his hands on the window, bidding farewell to his family.
“Families are being forced to take the agonizing decision to split up,” one witness said, according to The Sun. “Women and children are heading to the safe zones while the men stay behind to fight to protect their homes.”
