Russian strike damages home, but couple gets married

A Russian missile and drone strike damaged the Kyiv home of a Ukrainian couple just hours before their long-awaited wedding. Despite the destruction and repeated air-raid alerts, Liudmyla Ryzhak, 33, and her fiancé Leonid Ryzhak, 43, went ahead with their ceremony on Tuesday.

The couple had already faced several delays because of the war. Leonid, a Ukrainian soldier serving with a team operating bomber drones near Pokrovsk, had recently returned to Kyiv on leave after spending time on the front line.

The couple was asleep when a Russian strike hit a warehouse across the street from their apartment. The blast shattered windows, damaged furniture and left the home temporarily uninhabitable.

Liudmyla and Leonid escaped to a shelter with Liudmyla’s six-year-old daughter and their two guinea pigs. Their cat remained hidden inside the damaged apartment.

When they returned, they found their wedding clothes buried under rubble and broken glass. Liudmyla managed to recover her white tulle skirt, while Leonid could not find his black trousers and instead wore army trousers with his traditional embroidered Ukrainian shirt.

The couple had previously struggled for days to complete their wedding paperwork because of constant air-raid sirens. Eventually, they were given September 8 as their wedding date.

Even after reaching the registry office at 10:40 a.m., another air-raid alert forced the building to close temporarily. The couple waited outside for nearly three hours as explosions were heard in nearby areas.

When the alert ended, they returned inside and finally held the ceremony.

The officiant told the couple that love means two people becoming a team. Moments later, Liudmyla and Leonid were officially married.

For Liudmyla, the wedding represented more than a celebration. It was a decision to continue living despite the uncertainty created by war.

The couple said surviving the attack gave the day a deeper meaning. Their damaged home, torn wedding clothes and interrupted ceremony became part of a day they said they would never forget.

The wedding ultimately went ahead against the backdrop of a continuing war, turning an otherwise ordinary celebration into a powerful story of resilience and hope.