Her husband proposed with 51 roses and had cooking competitions with her. Now, she cares for his grave and the grave of an unknown soldier, whom she asked to be buried next to him

by Lysychka-

10 comments

  1. Last November, soldier Andrii Kyrych from the 80th Brigade was laid to rest. On the same day, an unknown hero was buried beside him. Since then, Andrii’s wife, Natalia Mykhailyshyn, has cared for both graves.

    Natalia says that one of their first dates was at an ice rink, though neither knew how to skate. They laughed and fell together, overwhelmed with happiness. Within a week, Andrii introduced Natalia to his brother and friends, signaling his serious intentions.

    # 51 Roses and a Marriage Proposal

    A few months later, Andrii proposed. Andrii quickly bonded with Natalia’s mother, who shared cooking tips and recipes with him. It was Natalia’s mother to whom Andrii first confided his plans to propose.

    “It was New Year’s Eve 2016. We were preparing to celebrate. I was in the kitchen making food, and my mom was texting someone secretly. Then she went to answer the door and called me, saying, ‘Leave the food, Andrii’s here.’ I walked out, and there he was with a huge bouquet. He knelt down with a ring box and said, ‘Will you marry me?’ I cried tears of happiness,” Natalia recalled.

    # The War Changed Everything

    The couple had set their wedding for March 2022, but the full-scale invasion of Ukraine altered their lives forever. Andrii enlisted and told her “You take care of your parents and the cats.” The couple postponed their wedding. Tragically, Natalia’s brother, Ihor, who served with the Azov died from wounds sustained defending Mariupol at the Azovstal bunker hospital. His loss devastated Natalia and her family.

    Still, despite the distance and the war Natalia and her fiance kept working towards their wedding. Though Andrii couldn’t attend in person, they were officially married in the summer of 2023.

    # A Final Farewell

    On October 24, 2023, Andrii messaged Natalia, “The shelling here is intense. I’ll call you as soon as I can. Take care of yourself and Miki (the cat).” It was his last message. The next morning, on October 25, 2023, Andrii was killed in action.

    “They handed me his belongings. There were things he hadn’t even had a chance to wear: pants with tags still on them, underwear, thermal clothing, and his tablet. On November 8, they managed to retrieve his body from the battlefield. Soldiers from Lviv went to get him. I was told they were bringing him to the morgue. I went there too. It was the most horrifying meeting I could ever have imagined,” says Natalia.

    Her friend Bohdana went to the morgue with her. Natalia insisted that the coffin be opened—she wanted to see her husband one last time. The doctors tried to dissuade her, offering instead to identify him through photographs of his hand, which had a tattoo.

    When Natalia was processing the documents for Andrii’s burial, she learned that a soldier, whose name could not be identified, was also to be buried in Lviv. The thought pained her so deeply that she requested for him to be buried next to her husband. Now, she tends to both graves.

    [https://suspilne.media/lviv/850995-planuvali-ak-budut-svatkuvati-vesilla-istoria-druzini-zagiblogo-desantnika/](https://suspilne.media/lviv/850995-planuvali-ak-budut-svatkuvati-vesilla-istoria-druzini-zagiblogo-desantnika/) 

  4. Absolutely Heartbreaking!!!
    Ruzzzzzia is a TERRORIST STATE!!

  5. What a beautiful couple with their entire life ahead of them, they deserved so much better. Many blessings for healing and peace.

  8. Godspeed, Andrii. And know Natalia keeps vigil over your battle brother, too.

  9. This story made me weepy.

    May this horrific war end with Ukraine reacquiring their land back to their original borders.

  10. Hey South Korea, if you are listen, Ukraine could use some more military help.

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