Stanislav and Svitlana Luchko

This could have been just a beautiful love story if it weren’t for the war.

Stanislav and Svitlana Luchko have been together for 24 years. For both of them, this is their second marriage. And they both say in unison that they are finally happy.

The Luchko family is from Pokrovsk in Donetsk region. Stanislav is a miner, and Svitlana is an accountant. They met at their local church.

“We were 45 years old at the time. I had been single for a long time. I couldn’t even imagine that something like this could happen to me,” says Svitlana. “I struggled with this new feeling for a long time. But love won.”

“Here we found peace. It’s impossible to live under constant shelling. We slept in the hallway. I was constantly overwhelmed by panic when I heard explosions. In the shelter, we found comfort and support. And our Ivanna Dmytrivna and all the staff – they are simply golden people. I love them so much. As soon as we arrived here, we immediately felt the love.”

Stanislav clearly remembers when he first saw Svitlana. He says he immediately felt—this is the one. But at first, the adults only exchanged glances. They were nervous about what people would say and what the church’s priest would think. However, when everyone found out, they were happy for the couple. Eventually, Svitlana and Stanislav got married in the church.

The couple enjoys spending time together: they read religious literature, listen to spiritual songs, and take walks. Svitlana gathers wildflowers. They also often join the other residents of the shelter in the evenings to sing Ukrainian songs, with Stanislav accompanying them on the guitar.

Svitlana sees it as her calling to serve God, and her husband supports her in everything.

By nature, the couple is completely different from each other.

“Svitlana is very active, she always needs to be going somewhere,” says Stanislav, “while I’m calmer, I’m perfectly fine at home. That’s how we complement each other.”

They consider their faith in God to be the key to their strong marriage. The couple is confident that with faith, everything becomes easier. They also thank God for bringing them here, to the Ivano-Frankivsk region.