A Ukrainian army doctor released on Wednesday after nearly two years in captivity in Russia said yes to a marriage proposal from her fiancé, with whom she served during the siege of Mariupol, their commander said Thursday, AFP reports.

In a video posted on social media by Serhiy Volynskyi, aka “Volyn”, commander of the 36th Marine Corps Brigade, former POW Galina Fedychyn kisses her fiance Mykola Hrytsenyak after he proposed with a ring and a huge bouquet. red roses in hand.

“This love survived tests that can break the strongest,” commented Volyn, a legend of Ukraine, because he and his troops, including this couple, withstood the devastating siege of Mariupol for weeks.

“They fought together in the battle for Mariupol, endured the ordeal of captivity and a long separation, but their hearts never stopped beating in unison,” he added.

The couple were reunited after hundreds of prisoners were exchanged between Russia and Ukraine on Wednesday, the largest since the war began and the first official exchange since August 2023.

The head of the Administration of the President of Ukraine, Andriy Yermak, congratulated the two participants in the hostilities at platform Kh.

Galina Fedychyn has been in captivity since the spring of 2022. As “Volyn” wrote, she was the last woman from the 36th Marine Brigade, which was still held by the Russian military.

The defenders of Mariupol, including those from the 36th Marine Brigade who fought at the Azovstal steel plant, are considered heroes in Ukraine after withstanding weeks of Russian bombardment that devastated the city.