Ukrainian soldiers hold ritual wedding near front

Two Ukrainian soldiers known by the callsigns Ice and Khomochka held a ritual wedding on a hillside by a river near Ukraine's eastern front, exchanging vows before fellow soldiers in a ceremony that blended Slavic traditions and Orthodox Christianity.

The couple, aged 30 and 32, had already been legally married for a year, but treated the formal paperwork as less meaningful than vows made before comrades with whom they had served. Fellow soldiers formed a guard of honour, torches lit the route to the altar and bonfires were prepared for the gathering.

The ceremony used the "Mysteriya" ritual revived by the Azov brigade for important unit moments. Several long-distance drones buzzed over the area before the event began, but the celebration went ahead.

Dmytro Rogoziuk, commander of the 60th Brigade, said events like the wedding showed that "life goes on" during the war. Khomochka manages the unit's medical service. Ice ended his vows by saying: "Your honour shall become my honour, your home shall become my home."