Ukrainian couple who met during war rush to tie knot in incredible love story

Two partners who were in head over heels in love with each other rushed to get married at a Kyiv refuge centre.

They spoke about their support towards each other through the past year of unsettling trauma.

Volodymyr, 70, and Olga, 67, made a distinct 500-kilometre journey from their home city of Kharkiv, northern Ukraine.

Olga had to resist with worries and tension about her daughter abroad left with "no support" and her son-in-law, fighting on the front line in Bakhmut.

She said “I’m a big joker”, while producing a pack of cigarettes, adding: “I don’t drink alcohol so I just smoke a bit and it helps me to feel a bit better.

“Sometimes I am sad, and I cry when no-one is looking because I’m trying not to show it because your kids are looking up to you.”

She jokingly said: “I also have Volodymyr who is looking up to me as well, and I don’t want him to think that I am a crybaby.”

Volodymyr said he is “really thankful” for the support given to Ukraine by Britain.He also added that his love for Olga has kept him alive and helped him through the nightmare.

Both wanted to be together and were prepared to whatever came next.

Arieva told CNN: “I remember my wedding ceremony and that feeling of not knowing anything.

"That unpredictable and really scary future."

Olga said that the Kyiv refuge centre has offered them "really good and high quality" food packages, and even sourced some glasses for her.

She told Fox News: "We will still be fighting until the last drop of blood.

"But if Ukraine falls, then someone will be next. Russia never stops."

She also added: "Humour, cigarettes, and companionship’’ helped us endure and saved us during the hardship.

"What do we have without humour? Without humour there is literally nothing left."