Olena and Aleksander met two years ago. The war in Ukraine did not throw them on the roads of exodus. They have decided to stay in Severodonetsk, in the Donbass region, where they have made a converted cellar their little nest. “My husband gave me these flowers this morningshows the young woman, it really made me happy. A bit of romance in this underground shelter. Even in this cellar, he proves his love to me every day.”
The bouquet of red tulips brightens up a dark, damp hallway that opens into a small room-turned-bedroom. “When I’m scared, I hug him or take him by the hand and I feel reassured”smiles Olena.
Love is stronger than war!
The proof with this couple, who lives holed up, in the cellar of a building in Severodonetsk in the Donbass. pic.twitter.com/vnvNBmlAMW— Omar Ouahmane (@ouahmane_omar) April 15, 2022
The eastern Ukrainian town, which sits near pro-Russian separatist positions, had a population of more than 100,000 before the war. It is almost emptied of its population today. Even in the shelter in this basement, you can hear the crash of bombs.
“Sometimes we think back to all the good times we had when it was peace and we laugh together, it does us a lot of good.”
Aleksander hums musical notes. It’s his other love in his life. This former postman is still reeling from the bombardment that gutted his apartment. “I lived in a building on Gagarin Street that was bombed by a Grad missile.he says. My piano was completely destroyed, I also lost my guitars, my violin and my accordion. It’s a big loss.” Is music everything to him? “No, it’s more than anything for mehe lets go, but he recovers, laughing. Actually, no: my wife means more than anything, and music is my second wife.”
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Olena smiles: “As soon as the war is over, we make a baby.” A promise of hope as the war in Donbass is expected to intensify in the coming days.
War in Ukraine: the newlyweds of Severodonetsk at the microphone of Omar Ouahmane and Gilles Gallinaro
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