Maria and David: Ukrainian woman marries US fiancé before returning to fight for her country
A Ukrainian woman based out of Oak Park, Chicago, got married to her American fiancé before returning to fight for her country. Maria, who is originally from Kyiv, has volunteered to go back to her hometown and stand beside her countrymen in the war against Russia. She would be flying to Poland on March 7, 2022, before making her way into Ukraine through the border areas.
Maria got engaged to David in October 2021, after meeting each other last year. However, their wedding plans had to be preponed after Russia's sudden invasion of Ukraine as Maria decided to be with her family at this time and fight the war together. Before her journey, she tied the knot in a small backyard ceremony in Oak Park, Chicago, on Saturday. The event was attended by around 20 people who brought her medical supplies, masks, and other survival items instead of wedding gifts. She has gathered considerable food and rations to help the war-ravaged families in Ukraine.
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Maria, who withheld her last name for the sake of her family's safety, would be leaving her newlywed husband behind as she sets sail for an indefinite period of time. Maria was previously married to an Austrian man and had moved to Chicago with him over 20 years ago. Their marriage ended in a divorce but Maria found love again in 2021 with David.
The news of the invasion disturbed and upset Maria like all expat Ukrainians, but she showed immense courage when she decided to volunteer in the war. Three days into the Russian invasion, Maria made up her mind to fight for her country. The 44-year-old admits that she does not have medical or military training, but feels it would be much worse for the world if Russia takes over Ukraine.
"I have to go. I can't do protests or fundraising or wave flags. We've done this since 2015, Ukrainians, and I just can't do it anymore," Maria said. Speaking about her husband, she added, "He knows how stubborn I am and knew he´d have no chance to convince me otherwise."
Her husband David has also volunteered to fight beside her, but he has to stay behind until his passport and other documents are finalized. "Because complacency and compliance are pretty much the same thing. And you can only turn a blind eye to people being bullied for so long. And if it happens to them, it might be you next," David shared.
