A Ukrainian military doctor, released this Wednesday, after two years of captivity in Russia, said “yes” to the marriage proposal of her fiancé, with whom she served during the siege of Mariupol, their commander announced Thursday. In a video posted on Facebook by Sergiï Volynsky known as “Volyna”, the commander of the 36th Marine Brigade, the ex-prisoner of war Galyna Fedychyn kisses her fiancé, Mykola Grytseniak, after he proposed to her, ring and gigantic bouquet of red roses in hand.
Love under the bombs
It was on the Ukrainian front, during the Battle of Mariupol, that the couple met. Both soldiers, they fight to defend Ukraine against the Russian invasion. “This love has survived trials that can break the strongest,” commented Volyna, a celebrity in Ukraine who with her troops, including this couple, resisted the devastating siege of Mariupol for weeks.
The defenders of Mariupol, in particular those of the 36th Marine Brigade who had entrenched themselves in the Azovstal steel site, are in fact considered heroes in Ukraine, having resisted for weeks the deluge of Russian fire which largely destroyed the city. “They fought together in the Battle of Mariupol, endured the ordeal of captivity and long separation, but their hearts never stopped beating in unison,” he added.
The last woman from the 36th Marine Brigade still detained by Moscow
In the spring of 2022, the couple was separated by Russian forces. Galyna Fedychyn, a prisoner of war, remained in captivity for almost two years. According to Volyna, she was the last woman from the 36th Marine Brigade still held by the Russian army. “In captivity, she spoke Ukrainian as a matter of principle. The Russians made several mock preparations for an exchange, finally putting her back in detention,” the Ukrainian general staff said on Wednesday, referring to the 36th doctor without naming her.
The couple met again following an exchange of hundreds of prisoners this Wednesday between Russia and Ukraine, the largest since the start of the war and the first official exchange since August 2023. The head of the Ukrainian presidential administration, Andriï Iermak, sent its congratulations to the two fighters on X (formerly Twitter).