Oleksandr Zhuhan and Antonina Romanova have been fighting the Ukrainian army for three months (Image: Reuters)
An LGBTQ + couple joined the Ukrainian armed forces and learned to fight to prevent Russia from “destroying its culture.”
Oleksandr Zhuhan worked in the theater with his partner Antonina Romanova, both 37, before the war.
In 2014, the couple fled to Kyiv from the Crimea when Putin illegally annexed the eastern peninsula.
But they found themselves fearing for their lives for the second time on February 24 when Russia sent its troops to Ukraine.
Oleksandr and Antonina spent two days hiding in their bathroom before deciding to do something, even though neither of them had ever used a weapon.
Antonina, who identifies as non-binary with her pronouns, said: “I just remember that at one point it became clear that we only had three options: either hide in an air raid shelter, flee and escape, or join the Territorial Defense (volunteers) We have chosen the third option.
Oleksandr added: “Because Russia is not just taking over our territories and killing our people. They want to destroy our culture and we can’t let that happen.”
The couple said that their colleagues accepted them over time and some even used the proper pronouns (Image: Reuters) The couple was worried that their new commanders were homophobic, but it turned out that it was not the case (Image: Reuters) They set off for a second combat tour on May 25 (Image: Reuters)
The couple was concerned that they might suffer discrimination and homophobia in the military, but found that “there was no aggression or bullying.”
A senior official said: “The only important thing on the front line is to be a good fighter.”
Antonina said it was “a bit unusual” for the other soldiers, and added, “But over time, people started calling me Antonina, some even used my pronoun she.”
The couple said their first period of service was so frightening that it changed their lives.
They toured Mykolaiv, southern Ukraine, about 80 miles from the port of Odessa, during which time Oleksandr contracted pneumonia.
After a break in May, the couple returned to the front line last Wednesday.
The couple wears unicorn patches on their uniforms in response to people saying there are no gays in the military (Photo: Reuters) Oleksandr and Antonina used to work in the theater before enlisting in the military (Image: Reuters ) This is the second time their homes have been invaded by Russia, as they had to leave Crimea in 2014 (Image: Reuters) Oleksandr Zhygan used to be an actor, director and theater teacher before the war (Image: Reuters )
More: Russia
The couple wears a unicorn patch on their uniform, along with many other LGBTQ + soldiers in Ukraine.
It’s supposed to be a humorous response to people saying “no gays in the military.”
“(The community) chose the unicorn because it’s like a ‘non-existent’ fantastic creature,” Oleksandr said.
Despite the largely positive reception, Oleksandr is still concerned that his LGBTQ + relationship will not be respected if he dies in the fight.
She fears the authorities will let her mother bury her with a priest “reading silly prayers” even though she is an atheist who has different burial wishes for Antonina.
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