Yaryna Arieva and Sviatoslav Fursin, a newlywed couple, spent their first day of marriage gathering firearms to defend Ukraine.
Yaryna Arieva and Sviatoslav Fursin married on Thursday morning, February 24, just hours after Russia invaded their country.
However, because to the severity of Russia’s attacks on Ukraine, the couple did not take a honeymoon; instead, they went straight to the armory and collected firearms supplied by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense to able-bodied people willing to fight for the country.
The couple had planned to marry in May, but decided to move it sooner since they ‘weren’t sure what their future held.’
They both enlisted in the Territorial Defense Forces, a part of Ukraine’s armed forces made up primarily of volunteers. The pair went to the office of their political organization, European Solidarity, once they were armed.
“For the time being, we are here and doing everything we can. So there’s a lot of work to be done, but I’m hopeful that everything will work out,” Arieva said, adding that some citizens who aren’t in the military were also given firearms.
“There are some sites where you can acquire them, and all you have to do is sign the papers, and you’re done.”