Every now and then we must allow ourselves a good news story..
A Delhi High Court lawyer proposed to his Ukrainian girlfriend as soon as she landed in India. She spent days in and out of bomb shelters in Kyiv before fleeing to Poland. She finally managed to get a one-year visa to stay in India. The couple who met while travelling will marry soon.
A Delhi High Court lawyer proposed to his Ukrainian girlfriend, who fled Kyiv, as soon as she landed in India.
Anubhav Bhasin, 33, and Anna Horodetska, 29, met while travelling and have known each other for about two and a half years.
“The first time we actually got to know each other properly was just before the first lockdown in 2020,” Anubhav told IANS.
They were travelling together when the first COVID-19 lockdown was announced. Anna, who was working in an IT company, got stuck due to the cancellation of flights.
Anna stayed at Anubhav’s home until she could fly back home.
“Once the lockdown got over, we met again in Dubai and then she came to India, and I went to Kyiv. In December last year, she came to India and met my family and that’s when we decided to get married. Then she went back to Ukraine,” Anubhav said.
When the Russia-Ukraine war broke out on February 24, Anna woke up to the sound of bombs. She moved in and out of bomb shelters for the next three days.
Anna decided to flee to Poland. She left her home with her mother and her dog on February 27.
“Her mother took a train towards her hometown Kamianka to go to her grandma’s place. Anna waited for two hours till she found a train going towards Lviv, which is to the west of Ukraine and close to the Polish border,” Anubhav recalled.
After staying in Lviv on the night of February 27, Anna decided to take a bus to Poland. However, she learned that people had been waiting at the Polish border for more than 24 hours and had not been able to get through. So, she took a bus going to the border with Slovakia. After waiting for a couple of hours, she eventually crossed the border on foot.
Anna then managed to find a minibus heading to Kraków, Poland, where stayed for a couple of weeks.
“I had some friends there who helped her and provided her accommodation,” Anubhav said.
He added, “Finally, she applied for a visa at the Indian embassy in Poland and when it was granted, she flew to India and I proposed to her at the airport.”
The love birds will tie the knot soon after which Anna will apply for Indian citizenship. She currently has a one-year visa.
“We just need to go back to get the dog whenever the war gets over,” Anubhav said.
