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A young Ukrainian couple has become a symbol of love and strength for the country after they decided to get married three months before their planned wedding in May, when Russia began to invade their homeland.
Yarina Arieva, a 21-year-old woman wise over her age, told Fox News Digital that she and her 24-year-old husband, Svyatoslav Fursin, had discussed marrying in the early days of the war if Putin invaded, but did not believe it will happen.
When the attacks began, her mother called the priests she knew in the area and found one to marry the couple without an official marriage certificate, which is very unusual for Ukraine, but the priest agreed due to unforeseen circumstances.
“The most difficult two days of my life [were in] the beginning of the war, “Arieva told Fox News Digital, but since then she and other Ukrainians have become more accustomed to the sounds of explosions and news of attacks on television.
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Arieva and Fursin joined Ukraine’s territorial defense forces immediately after their wedding. The couple is based in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine and the main target of Russian President Vladimir Putin, as it houses Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky. A convoy of Russian military vehicles has been stopped outside the city for several days as Putin plans to take over the government.
Russia, meanwhile, is launching missile strikes on the capital. Arieva described two massive explosions that struck the city on Wednesday – one that woke her up at 1:30 a.m. and illuminated her room as if it were day.
Yarina Arieva and her husband Svyatoslav Fursin. (Credit: Yayna Arieva)
She has not left the shelter for seven days and said civilians who do not fight actively need a secret access code to go outside for their own protection.
Her husband was on a combat mission with the Territorial Defense Forces on Thursday when she spoke to Fox News Digital. The force is on the second line, assisting Ukraine’s armed forces in their efforts to repel Russian troops from Kyiv.
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“He was completely, extremely exhausted after the last mission,” Arieva said. “[H]I just couldn’t find normal words to describe what he wanted and what he thought, and it was awful. He hasn’t slept in two days, but he slept [in shelter] for three days and had the opportunity to rest a little. So it was better for him … when he was taken on the next mission. “
Svyatoslav Fursin. (Credit: Yayna Arieva)
She added that Fursin was “the second commander of his group” of about 15 soldiers, although he did not have “much military experience” because “his father and father-in-law were soldiers and told him some things”.
“He is very, physically, very strong and loves sports and has some knowledge of armor, so he was one of the best in his group,” Arieva explained.
While Kyiv remains intact, even when bombarded by missile attacks, southern cities are fighting harder to fight the Russian military. Kherson, a strategically important city near the Black Sea, fell by Russian forces on Wednesday night, becoming the first major city to fall since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine last week.
Building burns after shelling in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, March 3, 2022. Russia launched a large-scale attack on Ukraine, striking cities and bases with air strikes or shelling. (AP Photo / Ephraim Lukacki)
But Arieva and Fursin are optimistic about Ukraine’s future.
“People here are absolutely sure we will win,” she said. “It’s just a matter of time. We also laugh at the Russians. We joke, tell jokes – not only about Russians, but also about [the] situation, “she told Fox News Digital.
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She described the Russians as “very aggressive” and “furious” at Ukraine’s strong resistance.
Arieva is a deputy member of the city council of Ukraine’s European Solidarity party, which has voiced opposition to some of Zelensky’s policies and the Servant of the People party, but the 21-year-old said she could now look beyond the opposition.
“We had a lot of political disputes with the People’s Servant Party, so I didn’t appreciate his policy much, but at the moment I have no right to criticize him, and he is doing his best. He defends our country, he does his job and he is really good at his job. So it’s not time for any political intrigue … and I support him as president of my country, “she said.
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Instead of going on a honeymoon in the Maldives or Italy after the war, Arieva wants to smoke cigarettes, complete renovations to her apartment and “start a new family life” that is “calm and happy.”
“And maybe someday I’ll have children when I’m 30 or 35, but not right now, when Russia still exists on the world map,” she said.