A Ukrainian couple has tied the knot in a military-style wedding at a checkpoint near Kyiv in Ukraine at the weekend.
Lesya and Valeri are both civil defence volunteers who are fighting alongside the Ukrainian military.
The Russian war in Ukraine has entered 12th day with major cities, including Kyiv, facing bombings by Russian forces.
The United Nations has reported close to two million people displaced by the war already and many civilians are still trapped.
However, the two Ukrainian fighters at the checkpoint near Kyiv would not allow the unpleasant situation to affect their happiness.
The two exchanged wedding rings in front of fellow fighters and a military chaplain who conducted the ceremony.
In a short video posted on Twitter by Reuter, Lesya said: “We have to live in the moment. Many people talked about it but only a few lived according to this rule.
It was a rare moment of cheer for Ukrainian reservists at a Kyiv checkpoint, when two among them exchanged wedding rings in front of fellow fighters and a military chaplain pic.twitter.com/8IdBashlmc
— Reuters (@Reuters) March 7, 2022
“To stay sane, we have to live in the moment and be hopeful.
“We must take as much as we can from life.”
The mayor of Kyiv – and former world heavyweight boxing champion – Vitaliy Klitschko, was among the guests.