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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Hanna Arhirova and Vasilisa Stepanenko

A pregnant soldier mourns her 21-year-old husband at his funeral in Ukraine

Russia Ukraine War - (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

A pregnant woman in a black dress stood at the head of her 21-year-old husband’s casket Tuesday in Kyiv, mourning the man she met when they were both soldiers fighting Russia's full-scale invasion of their country.

Yeva Smyrnova and Danyil Smyrnov both joined the army in 2023, at 18, and married two years later, in July 2025. Young as they were, decided they needed to hurry and start a family.

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