Volunteers Anastasiia and Anton got married in a metro station in Kharkiv

Before the Russian troops invaded Kharkiv and began shelling the city, 38-year-old Anton was a dentist in his private clinic. 33-year-old Nastia was a nurse in the oncology department of a local hospital and had shaved her head to support patients that undergo chemical treatment. After February 24, they both have been volunteering and providing locals with the medicine they need. In these difficult times, they decided to take a serious unplanned step — they decided to get married.

A photo session in front of buildings ruined by Russian occupiers and a ceremony in an underground metro station — this is what the wedding of Nastia and Anton looked like. The couple chose a nice date for the celebration — Nastia’s birthday. The relatives of the newlyweds had evacuated from the city so the guests at the celebration were colleagues from the volunteer center and people who live in the metro.

Mariia Avdieieva, director of research at the European Expert Association, recorded the story of the Kharkiv residents. She was also invited to the wedding. The woman’s impressions are described in these lines: “No matter what, these two will plan their life. In this way, they state to the Russians: you can try and take away our future, but it will still come.”