They survived Azovstal and Russian captivity: Mariupol defender proposes to his combat medic girlfriend

Ukrainian serviceman Myroslav proposed to his girlfriend, combat medic Elina Medynina, just before a Shakhtar football match. Both took part in the battles for Mariupol, were at the besieged Azovstal steelworks and endured Russian captivity.

Source: FC Shakhtar

Details: On Sunday 15 March, a Ukrainian Premier League match between Shakhtar Donetsk and Metalist 1925 Kharkiv took place at Arena Lviv. Combat medic Elina Medynina had been invited to take the ceremonial first kick.

"I had red hair and a dream to open a Shakhtar match. Dreams come true," Elina shared.

After the kick-off, her partner Myroslav, alias Chicago, came onto the pitch carrying a bouquet of red roses and wearing a T-shirt that read "Marry me".

He proposed – and she answered "Yes."

"I was worried, hoping that nothing would go wrong, it would all work out, I wouldn't be late and everything would go according to plan," Myroslav said.

Both Elina and Myroslav defended Mariupol at the start of the full-scale invasion. Elina served as a combat medic with the Donetsk Border Guard Detachment, and both she and Myroslav were at Azovstal.

They were later taken into Russian captivity. Elina spent nearly five months there and returned home on 17 October 2022. She is now a senior lieutenant in the Medical Service of Ukraine's State Border Guard Service.

Background: On 5-6 March, another prisoner swap between Ukraine and Russia took place in a 500-for-500 format in two stages: 200 prisoners of war were brought home on 5 March and another 300 on 6 March.

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