4 days ago
To their wedding song: Ukrainian veteran dances with wife for first time since losing both legs
A Ukrainian soldier who lost both legs on the front line has danced for the first time since his injury. Together with his wife, he danced to the same song that played at their wedding.
Source: The Nezlamni (Unbroken) National Rehabilitation Centre
Details: Oleksandr Zhavnenko, a 36-year-old from Lviv, has been dancing since childhood. It was on the dance floor that he met his future wife, Marichka. They performed together in the folk ensemble Mriia (Dream).
From the first day of the full-scale Russian invasion, Oleksandr supported Ukraine's defence forces as a volunteer. After his wife Marichka gave birth to their first child, he joined the 12th Azov Special Forces Brigade of the National Guard as a drone operator.
Oleksandr lost both lower limbs in October 2024.
"As soon as I was injured, Marichka came to me in Dnipro with our little Lina in her arms. It was a huge surprise. She supported me and said: 'We'll definitely get back on our feet and dance together'," he recalls.
The couple performed their first dance since his injury at the Lviv House of Scientists, to the same song that played at their wedding.
"I didn't know what to expect from this dance. But I loved it so much! Nothing hurt, nothing felt tight – unlike everyday life, where even moving in the kitchen is hard. Here, I did what I love, and she was by my side," Oleksandr shares.
Background: Previously, the centre shared the story of veterans Anastasiia and Oleksii, who met during rehabilitation. Both were seriously injured at the front and lost limbs.
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