Almost a year and a half ago, they had to flee for their lives from the city of Kharkiv in Ukraine. Now Iryna and Karyna are starting a new life: they got married last week. “We’re going from hell to heaven,” says Karyna.
The two lovers are both 34 years old. When Russia invaded their country at the end of February last year, Iryna and Karyna didn’t hesitate for a moment. They got into the car with their daughter Nina and cat Runa. They arrived in Haarlem a few days later via Iryna’s Dutch employer. They could immediately go to a house in the Pentagon.
Karyna: “We actually ended up from hell to heaven. The neighbors had already completely furnished our house in Haarlem. Fleeing and leaving everyone behind was very difficult, but the reception gave us so much positive energy.”
Freedom
The two women are not only safer here than in their home country. They are also freer, says Karyna. “Here we can be ourselves. We can show that we love each other, that is not always the case in Ukraine. Getting married there is certainly not reserved for people of the same sex. We still can’t believe it ourselves, but we are just married!”
Last Monday, Karyna and Iryna were legally married in the city hall of Haarlem. On Friday they did that again thinly at Landgoed Duinlust in Overveen. Sponsors took care of the location, the flowers and the wedding cake. The Haarlem photographer Hélène Wiesenhaan captured the party.