25 Years of “She Is His Head, and He Is Her Hands”: How an Evacuated Couple from Pokrovske Got Married and Started a New Life with Support from EAST SOS

Valentyna is originally from Kazakhstan. It was there that she spent her childhood, youth, and early adult years. There, she got married and had children. But life with her husband did not work out, and after the divorce she moved to Pokrovske in Synelnykove Raion, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, where her relatives lived. She could never have imagined, even in her worst nightmare, that war unleashed by russia would one day reach this quiet Ukrainian settlement.

It was in Pokrovske that Valentyna met Valerii, who lived nearby. What began as simple everyday communication slowly grew into love – one they have carried through the years.

Valentyna has a Group III disability status due to leg paralysis caused by a road accident. Today, she finds it difficult to move without crutches. Valerii has a Group II disability status. His life has not been easy: he was orphaned as a child and grew up in an orphanage. Later, he developed mental health issues and received treatment. Yet health problems and life’s challenges never stopped them from being each other’s support. On the contrary, it was Valentyna who helped Valerii gather the documents needed for the Medical and Social Expert Commission assessment and disability registration.

Valentyna is now 71, and Valerii is 67. Smiling, she says: “In our family, I am the head, and my husband is the hands. And it has been this way for many years.” Behind these words are years of love, respect, and everyday care.

In 2025, Pokrovske was only 14 kilometers from the front line. Constant enemy shelling made life there dangerous, and the couple had no choice but to evacuate.

At the transit center for evacuees in Pavlohrad, the couple was met by the EAST SOS team. Social workers and a logistics specialist supported them after the difficult journey and helped find shelter for the cat and dog they had brought with them from the frontline area.

The war took their home, but it did not take them from each other. EAST SOS also helped the couple resettle in Dnipro at the Center for Social Adaptation of People with Disabilities run by the NGO Ocean of Good. Social workers helped them open bank accounts to receive their pensions. Later, a place was found for them at the Dnipropetrovsk Geriatric Boarding House. They had been together for almost 25 years, but without an officially registered marriage, they had to live separately in the new facility. To be able to live in one room, they needed to officially register their marriage.

This happened at the end of December 2025. An EAST SOS lawyer helped them prepare the documents and organize the marriage registration.

“This story shows that even small, simple steps can change lives. It is about people being able to exercise their basic rights despite health, age, or distance,” shared Alina Steblianko, specialist at EAST SOS.

The social worker organized the couple’s trip to the civil registry office, accompanied them on the day of the ceremony, and congratulated them with a festive bouquet of chrysanthemums that suited the bride beautifully.

“Valentyna and Valerii are an incredibly warm and positive couple. They sincerely thanked us for the support and attention. Before saying goodbye, I promised that I would definitely bring them a printed photo as a keepsake, something that would make their room feel warmer and remind them that they are not alone, that there are people who care about them,” said EAST SOS specialist Olha Prasil-Kovaliova.”

Legal assistance is provided as part of the project “Integrated humanitarian response for conflict-affected Ukrainians and third-country nationals in Ukraine, Poland, Romania and Moldova”, implemented with support from Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe and funded by the German Federal Foreign Office.

Social support is provided as part of the project Protection and Psychosocial Services for People with Limited Mobility and Persons with Disabilities Affected by the War, implemented with support from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA).

Read the story of how the EAST SOS team helped a resident of Mezhova who survived two consecutive enemy strikes.