“Ha chiesto: ‘Se vado a Mariupol, mi aspetterai?’ Ho detto ‘Certamente'”: la storia della moglie di un soldato caduto

The couple met on February 21, 2022. Valeriia met Ivan in a bar where he worked – three days later full-scale war began. She says they liked each other at first sight and managed to go on two dates.

“There was this tall, broad-shouldered guy in black tactical gear, a cap. And he had such beautiful, big gray-blue eyes. He couldn’t take his eyes off me. Later he told me he’d fallen in love at first sight. I liked him too, but for him it was true love. Two weeks later, Ivan proposed to me,” Valeriia recalls.

She remembers the night before February 24;  she couldn’t sleep because of explosions in the city. Ivan was at work, he was working in security. On February 25, he went to the military enlistment office. Their next meeting wouldn’t happen until May.

“On February 25, he sent me a video message. He asked, ‘If I go to Mariupol, will you wait for me?’ I said, ‘Of course.’ And he replied, ‘Then we’ll get married.’ I told him we’d only marry after victory; it still felt too soon,” says Valeriia.

Valeriia says they stayed in touch constantly. On October 21, 2022, they officially married. They lived in Berezivka and then moved to Odesa, taking their dog with them.

For the last year and a half, Ivan served in the 122nd Territorial Defense Brigade, where he worked as an instructor in the instructors’ group. The men trained both newly mobilized soldiers and those returning from the front for recovery.

In July 2025, Ivan Momotenko was killed. Valeriia remembers the last day they spoke:

“That day we talked until noon. There were many air raids – everything was tense. At 12:05, I sent him a video message. He opened it but didn’t listen to it. I thought maybe he was busy or there was some technical issue. All day I kept writing and calling, hoping for a reply.”

At 19:10, Ivan’s father called and told her that Ivan had been killed.

“We dreamed of a family, children, a house, our own business. And in a single moment, all of that disappeared. Now none of it matters, because without him — all our shared plans are gone,” she says quietly.

After her husband’s death, Valeriia withdrew from the world. She didn’t want to see or talk to anyone and only recently returned to Odesa. Ivan had been the closest person in her life, and she loved him as deeply as he loved her.

In memory of her husband, Valeriia got four tattoos – each with a special meaning for her:

“There’s a lion – his zodiac sign. A candle – in his memory. A red thread and the word *‘kokhaniuska’* [Ed.- my little love). And one more tattoo that says *‘more than life’*, because Ivan always said he loved me more than life itself.”

Valeriia now visits European Square with a small flag in memory of her husband. She plans to install a large flagpole there, bring flowers, and visit regularly – to honor Ivan’s memory.

Im so sorry for your loss. Im in love with the fourth pic! Beautiful!