Blonda e Ryzhyi (“rossa”) sono una coppia sposata che servono insieme: “Devi amarti, e poi tutto andrà bene”

Tetiana (callsign “Blonda”) and Oleksii (callsign “Ryzhyi”) went to the front even before the full-scale invasion and wanted to serve together — and they succeeded. For nearly a year and a half now, they’ve been working side by side.

Tetiana’s job is to stabilize the wounded and do everything possible — and impossible — to keep them alive. Oleksii’s task is to get them to the medical facility as fast as possible.

“They usually bring us the ‘300s’ already tourniqueted. We put in IVs and rush them to the hospital. If the soldier is conscious, I ask their name, if they have a wife, or who’s waiting at home — try to direct them mentally to where they felt happy. I tell them everything will be okay… It’s a small way to calm them down,” Tetiana says.

Tetiana used to work at a medical center in Bakhmut in civilian life, but she always dreamed of following in her father’s footsteps — he was in the military. So in 2014, when Russia invaded the east, she knew she had to be at the front:

“This is my work… I have to help my country and the guys.”

At the time, Tetiana couldn’t join the Armed Forces: first her family wouldn’t let her go, and then she became pregnant. So she officially joined in 2019, serving in the medical company of the 54th Mechanized Brigade.

Oleksii didn’t want his wife to go to the front. He’s been fighting since 2016 and has seen the horrors of war firsthand — as a rifleman, then squad leader with the 57th Brigade, and later a platoon sergeant in the 54th. But Tetiana was determined and convinced him that her place was on the front lines

Together, the couple has saved hundreds of lives. Oleksii and Tetiana work around the clock rescuing people — and have often been targeted themselves. But the hardest part, Tetiana says, is evacuating the bodies of fallen soldiers:

“You have to open the body bag, find documents, figure out callsigns… They’re already mummified sometimes, and we need to at least identify who it is. You open the bag, and all kinds of bugs fly out. We’ve seen so much already…”

Tetiana and Oleksii say those moments only bring them closer together — and they cherish every minute of life.

Their matching tattoos, which they got before their wedding, keep them warm and remind them of happier days.

Their main motivation to fight is their daughters. Eight-year-old Snizhana now lives with her grandmothers in the Kirovohrad region, while 20-year-old Liliia has followed in her parents’ footsteps: she graduated from the Odesa Maritime Academy and now goes on patrol at sea.

“It’s hard not being with them, not seeing them grow — not seeing anything… We get videos from the grandmas, they call, she’s dancing — stuff like that…”

“Do you miss your kids?”

“Of course. Very much. But what can you do? If not us, then who?” Oleksii says.

[https://suspilne.media/zaporizhzhia/1021527-treba-kohati-odne-odnogo-i-todi-vse-bude-dobre-istoria-podruzza-vijskovih-iz-zaporizkogo-napramku/](https://suspilne.media/zaporizhzhia/1021527-treba-kohati-odne-odnogo-i-todi-vse-bude-dobre-istoria-podruzza-vijskovih-iz-zaporizkogo-napramku/) 

Father God please protect and bless this lovely couple 💙💛

Thank you for kicking fascist ass for all of us! Wishing you peace, safety and freedom.

This is a great story. May they be protected by a higher power and get through safely. 🙏