LOVE AMID THE RUBBLE

As the war in Ukraine drags on, unlikely romances have blossomed in the muddy trenches and urban battlegrounds. Meet the couples who fell for each other against the odds

- CHRISTINA LAMB

ON HIS few breaks from fighting Russians, he drives under fire to bring her avocados to the frontline - she's a vegan. Once he drove 64km to get her a bunch of flowers.

When it was his birthday, she ordered him a heart-shaped cake that he ate in the trenches. On her day off to fetch groceries, she managed to buy a sofabed and persuade some bemused soldiers to take it on an army pick-up to the base for them to sleep on.

Such is love in a time of war.

Before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Anya Seledkova (36) was a teacher with a sideline in making sustainable bags and clothes. Sasha Khaustov (35) divided his time between running a small trucking company and spearfishing. 

On 24 February last year, the day of the invasion, like many they volunteered – he to fight, she to be a paramedic. 

They met in the trenches of the eastern front last July when she came to tend the wounded. 

“I immediately liked her,” Sasha says, smiling. “I was impressed by how strong and fearless she was. 

“She ignored me to start with, but I was persistent. I tried to find any excuse to see her. I’d say, ‘I don’t feel well, give me vitamin C’.” 

Anya was taken by his “upbeat manner” and the small gifts he brought her, such as a carabiner – useful for clipping things to her pack. 

The first time Sasha told Anya “I love you” was about a month after they met. They were under intense shelling that left several of their group dead or wounded.

As Anya tried to help one man who had lost an arm, Sasha shielded her with his body.