Ukrainian families grapple with divorce and relocation amid war pressures

Interviews with displaced Ukrainians reveal that the war has reshaped family life, prompting large numbers of women and children to seek safety abroad while men stay for conscription. Aljona, originally from Kharkiv, now lives in Norway after divorcing her husband, who later had an affair; she has begun a new relationship. Alexander’s wife left for Poland and later filed for divorce, and Marjana settled in Berlin, remarried and started a new family.

Statistics show a sharp drop in marriages after 2022 and a corresponding rise in divorce cases through 2023 and 2024, with the trend persisting into 2025. Traditional causes like infidelity remain, but war-induced stress, PTSD and the difficulty of reuniting after long separations add new pressures. The story is part of a broader journalistic project funded by one outlet panterstiftung, supporting one outlet's reporting on the conflict.