Ukrainian Couple Get Married One Day And Sign Up To Army The Next

A young couple who were due to get married later this year pushed the date forward and have now joined the Ukrainian defence forces.

Yaryna, 21, and Sviatoslav, 24, were set to tie the knot in May but following the news of Russia's invasion of their country, they changed their plans.

So yesterday (24 February), they held their wedding ceremony at St Michael's Golden Domed Monastery in the Ukrainian capital city of Kyiv.

And today (25 February), just 24 hours on from exchanging wedding vows, they joined the country's resistance force against the Russian invasion.

The couple's incredible story was shared by CNN journalist Christian Streib.

In a photo posted on his Instagram account, Yaryna and Sviatoslav can be seen getting married along with the caption: "Yaryna, 21 and Sviatoslav, 24 decided to move their May wedding forward and tie the knot today after Russia invaded their homeland last night." 

In a follow up post, the reporter shared another photo, this time of the newlyweds holding AK-47s.

He wrote: "Yesterday, I posted a picture of a young Ukrainian couple who married the day Russia invaded their country.

"Today, Yaryna, 21, posted this picture on her Facebook page, proudly displaying the AK-47 assault rifles, received from the government, so she and her husband Sviatoslav, 24, can join the resistance and defend their country."

This comes just a day after Russian president Vladimir Putin declared war on Ukraine, sending thousands of troops into the country.

The UK, US, and European Union have announced sanctions against Russia for its incursion into Ukrainian sovereign territory, but many believe that the sanctions against banks, airlines, and even private citizens, don’t go far enough.

Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said yesterday (24 February) called on the citizens of European countries to protest and demand stronger action from their governments.

He said: "The invasion of Russia into Ukraine is not just an invasion, it's the beginning of the war against Europe.

"Against the unity of Europe. Against basic human rights in Europe. Against all rules of coexistence on the continent. Against the fact that European states refuse to divide borders by force."

He continued: "What are you going to do about it?

"How are you going to defend yourselves if you are so slow helping us in Ukraine?"

Zelenskyy himself has said that he will not leave Kyiv, even though he knows his life is certainly in danger.

In a video message earlier on Friday, the President said: "[The] enemy has marked me down as the number one target,

"My family is the number two target. They want to destroy Ukraine politically by destroying the head of state.

"I will stay in the capital. My family is also in Ukraine."

If you would like to donate to the Red Cross Emergency Appeal, which will help provide food, medicines and basic medical supplies, shelter and water to those in Ukraine, click here for more information.