Ukraine's frontline newlyweds have 'no time' to wait for peace

Gathered in a wedding hall in the Ukrainian city of Sloviansk, near the front line, Anna and Pavlo Chornobai exchanged rings to the applause of a dozen of the groom's fellow soldiers. The bride insisted on a white dress for the civil ceremony. But the Russian-Ukraine conflict forced her to compromise on everything else, including the prospect of celebrating with friends and family. "When I was a girl, there were horses and a puffy dress in my plans, so it's a bit different, but I don't regret it at all," said the 22-year-old with a cherub tattoo on her collarbone.

The conflict has given many military couples in Ukraine a sense of urgency. Many see no point in waiting for a peace that seems little more than a mirage. Talk of ceasefires and an end to the three-year conflict have gripped Western capitals, with US President Donald Trump pushing for a quick end to the fighting.

But that all feels far from the reality in Sloviansk, around 20 kilometres (12 miles) from the front lines. With each air raid alert, the civil registry office's administrator, a woman in her fifties with a peroxide blond perm, ordered most visitors out of the building. They waited in front of a beige block initially built to be a cinema, topped with a rusty steel sign reading "Mria" - meaning dream in Ukrainian.