Ukrainian military medic engaged after release from Russian captivity
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Military medic Halyna Fedyshyn, released from Russian captivity on Jan. 3, has gotten engaged to Mykola Hrytseniak, a marine from the 36th Marine Brigade, with whom she went through battles for Mariupol and captivity, according to an announcement by 36th Marine Brigade commander Serhiy Volynskyi on social media.
“Today, I witnessed not just an engagement but a true triumph of love!” Volynskyi wrote.
“This love endured trials that can break the strongest, yet it did not let them break. A Ukrainian marine couple showed that real feelings know no obstacles, even when it’s hell on earth.”
Despite having endured battles for Mariupol, captivity and long separation, “their hearts never stopped beating in unison for a moment.”
“Their feelings and devotion to each other became symbols of invincible faith and hope,” he said.
“Their love is an all-encompassing light that conquered the darkness of the toughest times! Congratulations on this new beginning! Your story is an inspiration for the whole country.”
Read also: Last female Marine in Russian captivity, Azovstal defender Halyna Fedyshyn, returns home
Ukraine and Russia conducted a prisoner exchange on Jan. 3, 2024 – the largest since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion. Ukraine welcomed home 230 citizens, including 213 soldiers and sergeants, 11 officers, and six civilians.
According to human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets, this was the 49th exchange between Ukraine and Russia, bringing the total of freed Ukrainian POWs to 2,828.
This exchange followed a very long hiatus; the previous exchange took place on Aug. 22, 2023, bringing back 22 soldiers.
Fedyshyn was the last female marine held in Russian captivity. She defended Mariupol, the Ilyich Plant, and Azovstal. According to Nina Moroz, director of the social-psychological service at Zviagilsky Medical College, where Fedyshyn studied, she was wounded during the siege of Mariupol.
Her fiancee, Hrytseniak, originally from Donetsk, was also captured by the Russians. They kept apart during their captivity, and Hrytseniak was released earlier than Fedyshyn.
Read also: From Azovstal siege to Taganrog hell: Valeria Subotina’s journey through captivity
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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
