
Ukrainian citizens Yaryna Arieva and Sviatoslav Fursin got married just hours after Russia launched its invasion of their country. They spent their first day as a married couple collecting their rifles and getting ready to defend Ukraine.
It was supposed to be a May wedding, but the couple were no longer sure of what their future holds.

Arieva and Fursin have both signed up with the Territorial Defense Forces, a branch of Ukraine’s armed forces that is comprised mostly of 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.”