Couple's wedding plans disrupted by repeated bomb attacks in Kyiv

Leonid, 43, who had been operating drone units against Russian forces, was granted leave and traveled to Kyiv to marry his fiancée Ljudmyla, 33. Their attempts to book a wedding ceremony were thwarted when authorities issued six days of attack alerts, closing the registry office. When a brief lull allowed them to set a Tuesday morning appointment, a Russian air strike struck a warehouse across the street, sending a pressure wave that broke their windows, set curtains ablaze and wrecked furniture.

The family escaped to a nearby bomb shelter, taking Ljudmyla's six-year-old daughter, two hamsters and a cat that later reappeared. After the attack, they returned to their ruined apartment, salvaging a damaged wedding dress and clothing, and waited three more hours for the ceremony to finally begin.