Growing up in Lviv in western Ukraine, Les was never drawn to the capital, Kyiv. “It was too loud and busy compared with where I’m from,” he says. But in 2016, while working as an artist, he decided to host an exhibition there to gain more exposure. “I was working as a videographer to make money, and as a painter. I wanted to showcase my collection of animal paintings.”
He joined a local social network to advertise his exhibition. That’s where he met Anna, who was based in Kyiv. “I was working seven days a week, doing admin during the week and working for a beauty salon at the weekends,” she says. She was also busy looking after her five-year-old daughter. “I joined the site to find people to have small talk with, because I had no time for meeting anyone.”
She was intrigued by Les’s photo on the site. “He was wearing this big black hat and looked very creative. I told him I liked the hat and that started our conversation.” They hit it off straight away. “It was as though we’d known each other all our lives. He is so intelligent but he was always laughing at my jokes, too.” They began exchanging small letters and gifts in the post, before arranging to meet six weeks later at a cafe near to where Anna lived.
Callout
“It was very exciting and, from the first moment, I felt a sense of happiness,” says Les. “We talked about our jobs, our dreams and just about everything else.” Anna brought her daughter, Maria, along too, and she was immediately smitten with Les. “He brought her art supplies and she’s still painting all the time now,” says Anna. “I really liked him. I’d had bad experiences before, so it was hard to believe it was real and I’d met someone so kind.”
Les says he knew from the moment they met that he wanted to build a life with Anna. “I loved her smile and the way she made me laugh,” he says. “I had this feeling that she was right for me, like I’d finally met my muse.” Two weeks later, he returned to Kyiv and decided to stay.
The pair shared a passion for travel, with Les hosting art exhibitions all over the world. “We went to cities in the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Egypt and Poland,” says Anna. “When we are at home we love cooking together too.”
They married in 2019 and had a son, Leonardo, later that year. They are also expecting a baby this summer.
In early 2022, they bought a home together in Kyiv, but their newfound happiness was soon devastated by the war with Russia. “We tried to live like it was normal, putting on music to try and cover up the sound of the bombs,” says Anna, “but we soon realised we had to leave to get somewhere safer.” They took their children to Lviv, before Anna left for Poland with other family members. At the time, young men were unable to leave the country, so Les stayed behind to help with the war efforts, raising money for the cause through his art sales.
Anna moved to Italy shortly afterwards with the children, but found it impossible to be without her husband. “I felt like I couldn’t breathe without him so I came back to Kyiv with the kids. I felt safer with him in Ukraine than alone in Europe,” she says. When Les was able to travel, they started visiting different parts of Europe and the US to raise money for Ukrainian children through art projects and auctions. They’re now based in Vienna, though they travel to Kyiv for work when they need to. “We really miss our home and want to return, but we can’t go with a newborn,” says Anna. “Sometimes you feel safe and other times it’s being bombed like crazy. One day, though, we will bring our family back.”
Despite the trauma, they are grateful to have each other. “She’s the most valuable person in the world to me,” he says. “She’s the mother of our children and I respect her so much.”
Anna appreciates her partner’s kindness. “I’ve never heard a bad word from him about anyone. He’s such a good person. A lot of people couldn’t face this much stress together, but it’s brought us closer. I couldn’t live without him.”
