Couple Who Proposed in Bomb Shelter... Killed in Russian Airstrike Ahead of 1st Wedding Anniversary

UN: "Over 10,000 Civilian Casualties in Ukraine"
Died Ahead of 1st Wedding Anniversary... Funeral Held

"I got married at nineteen, even in the midst of this war"

A young Ukrainian couple who announced their marriage after a proposal in an underground air-raid shelter during the war died in a Russian bombing just before their first wedding anniversary.

On the 22nd, The Washington Post reported the story of Danilo Kovalenko (22) and Diana Haidukova (19), a couple who died in a Russian airstrike exactly one month before their first wedding anniversary on the 16th of last month.
[Photo by Reddit]

According to a report by The Washington Post on the 22nd (local time), Danilo Kovalenko (22) and Diana Haidukova (19), who were about to celebrate their first wedding anniversary on the 16th, met an untimely death due to a Russian airstrike.

Their love began amidst the war. About six months after Russia invaded Ukraine (February 24, 2022), the two first met on a dating app. Diana, who dreamed of becoming a graphic designer, showed interest first. Danilo, with blond hair and a chiseled jawline, resembled a character Diana liked. They met, took walks, and had dinner together, nurturing their love amid the war.

They soon fell in love and didn’t want to waste a single moment. Liza Yakimova (20), Diana’s closest friend, told The Washington Post, “I had never seen Diana fall in love so quickly. Danilo knew what Diana liked and disliked, and he cooked for her.”

Diana soon left the village on the outskirts where she lived with her mother and headed to where Danilo was. They started living together in a four-room apartment where Danilo and his parents lived.

Four months after they met, Danilo proposed to Diana in an underground air-raid shelter. Without telling anyone, they registered their marriage and officially became husband and wife. Diana recorded a video kissing her husband and singing, “Even in this war, I got married at nineteen,” which she posted on Instagram.

Though different from each other, they became a couple. Danilo, who dreamed of being a musician, was a bit eccentric and had a great sense of humor. He composed and performed songs in Russian and Ukrainian. He liked a slow, natural life.

The couple engraved the word "croutons" (small pieces of bread added to soups) on the inside of their wedding rings. It was a word they would shout together whenever they went grocery shopping.
[Photo by The Washington Post]

The war also influenced their decision to marry. They thought the war could separate them at any time. Their neighbors said, “They thought missiles could fall anytime. Bombings often struck near our home.”

Active Diana worked at a cafe while dreaming of becoming a graphic designer. She always shared positive energy with those around her. In her teenage years, she was active and cheerful, participating in K-pop dance competitions with her cousin.

However, on October 16, when Russia resumed bombing the Zaporizhzhia region, the apartment where the two lived was hit. The massive explosion swallowed their newlywed home. Danilo’s father found his body and tried CPR until the end, but his son did not return. Diana was found the next day among the rubble, her body distorted.

On the 16th of last month, the apartment of Danilo, Diana, and Danilo's family in the Zaporizhzhia region of Ukraine was bombed by Russian forces. Diana and her husband died in the bombing.
[Photo by The Washington Post]

Ultimately, their funeral was held just before their first wedding anniversary. October 16, the day they died, was exactly one month before their first anniversary. Friends plan to mix the cremated remains of the two and scatter them at a meaningful place.

The Washington Post reported, “The story of Danilo and Diana symbolizes the tragic loss of countless Ukrainians caused by the Russian invasion.” It added, “Every night, Russian bombings erase the lives, dreams, and futures of countless innocent Ukrainians.”

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s UN human rights monitoring mission announced on the 21st that civilian deaths in Ukraine have exceeded 10,000 since the Russian invasion.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.