Life stumbles on amidst the war in Ukraine, as in all wars. Like characters in a Corín Tellado romance novel, Marina and Andrii hold firm to their love on one of the most active fronts, that of Donetsk. Yes, together (in the rear), but not mixed (in the trench). They share a battalion in the 93rd Brigade, but are not authorized to work in the same positions on the battlefield where their mission is to locate and shoot down Russian drones. Each one submerges into a different hole in six-day shifts ―the normal period if the situation allows for rotations―, but, with special authorization from the commander, they do share housing in the city of Kramatorsk during the days they spend further away from the Russians while having to face other obligations.
Marina Pleshcheieva, 28, had a ticket to fly to Paris to relax with a friend on February 24, 2022. That morning, the Russian president ordered the large-scale invasion of the neighboring country. A resident of Kharkiv, just a few tens of kilometers from the border, she saw her vacation plans go up in smoke. She then put aside her job in the banking sector and focused on helping those displaced by the war (distributing food and firewood, finding housing, etc.) and eventually came into contact with military personnel. “At each stage, I felt I wanted to do more. Over time, I realized that I also wanted to enlist in the army,” she explains in the living room of that house in Kramatorsk while Andrii Pleshcheiev, 35, continuously caresses her legs. Both know that a crucial and difficult moment in the story is approaching.
After several weeks of training, on Marina’s first day of work as a soldier, her father was killed. “He served in an equipment repair unit of the 93rd Brigade. An Iskander missile hit the building where he was. I had just finished my 40 days of training and went straight to the commander to ask to be sent to the unit where my father served,” she explains. Marina reiterates that the loss of her father on July 27, 2024, has been the worst experience of the war. “Andrii helped me cope. Sometimes, he literally took me to the field so I could scream and release my emotions. I don’t know how he managed to handle it so calmly, but we got through it together,” she gratefully says.
Marina believes that, at this point in the conflict in 2026, “it is very difficult to make predictions because the war is evolving technologically at a very rapid pace.” Although the positions of both armies barely change, the prominence of drones means that “cities can now be destroyed remotely” and “cities can be surrounded without even entering them.” The Russians are about four kilometers from her mother’s village. That is just one of the reasons that leads her to believe it is worth fighting, even though she, as a woman, is not legally obliged to. She also does not lose sight of the fact that her country’s history has been written through wars. “Without resistance, we would already be enslaved and would not exist as a unique nation,” Marina concludes.
“I don’t like to use the word victory because in these types of wars there may never be anything that can be clearly considered a victory,” Andrii emphasizes, not wanting to comment in depth on the situation at the front. He does acknowledge, however, that “the enemy makes advances while suffering enormous losses.” He does highlight, on the other hand, how different it is to be involved in an electronic war like the current one. He has never faced a direct rifle fire situation against the enemy, but he is often under their drones.
“The most important thing is to seek shelter and avoid confronting the drone directly, because it’s a very unequal fight,” he recounts, recalling how, on his last mission, he failed to hide in time. “The drone slowly circled me while I was among some bushes. I could see my shelter just four or five steps away, but I understood that if I tried to run there, it would catch me. In those moments, the body seeks solutions. It is essential to understand that fear is normal and, in fact, it is good. When a person is afraid, they focus on survival. Instincts sharpen, senses strengthen, and you can run faster. The most important thing in those moments of danger is to preserve your own life and that of your comrades.”
Marina, in the minority
Although neither of them gives it too much importance, there is a moment in the conversation when Andrii clarifies that “Marina performs the same tasks as everyone else” despite being in an absolute minority as a woman. “For us, it’s important to separate family life from military service. It’s not that I’m not a gentleman, but that she is a soldier with her rights and obligations,” emphasizes Andrii, who had his own audiovisual production company until he enlisted at the end of 2023. “I basically did it to save my children’s lives so they would never have to wield a weapon,” he states.
Marina and Andrii’s lives first crossed during a charity run for a military unit held in Kharkiv on October 1, 2023. He ran 10 kilometers in memory of a professional runner friend killed in combat. Everything moved quickly, and within a month, they were engaged. Marina praises him for being honest in openly discussing his previous marriage and his two children. The moment he saw that the two children and Marina accepted each other, Andrii didn’t hesitate. On the first of every month, they ran 10 kilometers to celebrate their relationship. Also on March 1, 2024, when they got married dressed as runners after jogging five kilometers.
Andrii, of enormous stature and an endless beard, therefore tries to express that his children and his wife come first for him. “Once I thought I was collapsing from exhaustion while we were transporting very heavy weaponry for two kilometers under enemy attacks. The only thing that helped me keep going was that, a few days later, I was going to spend Christmas with my children and Marina,” he comments.
In the rear, when they live in a rented chalet in Kramatorsk, they go to fulfill other obligations such as shooting training, tactical medicine exercises, equipment repair, or preparing material and food to take to the next shift. Some nights, they host friends ―also military personnel― for dinner. They try to entertain themselves as if Kramatorsk were not constantly being hit by the Russians. The relaxed tone turns serious when Andrii dedicates several toasts to those who are no longer with them, especially his father-in-law.
When, after those days, they each move back to their positions, not only does the level of tension and danger rise, but they also have to live with all kinds of discomforts. The radio and interconnection thanks to Starlink (Elon Musk’s Wi-Fi system) allow them to know at all times what is happening where the other is deployed. “I immediately know if they are attacking where Marina is,” Andrii points out.
When they are at home, it’s easy to see them being affectionate in the kitchen or living room, whether in pajamas or camouflage. They frequently kiss, caress each other, and barely talk about the war. They plan to have children together, but, at least in her case, the stress level is currently too high, and her activity is incompatible with pregnancy. For now, putting aside the defense of Ukraine as a soldier is not in her plans. Both live absorbed by love and war. Marina often repeats to Andrii: “Tell me again how you fell in love with me the first time you saw me.”
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