Video of injured Ukrainian soldier’s heartwarming proposal goes viral

Dobryak lost his leg during an attack by Russian forces

Saman Javed
Tuesday 04 October 2022 11:24 BST
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Roman Dobryak proposes to his partner, Julia
Roman Dobryak proposes to his partner, Julia (dobryakproduction/Instagram)

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A heartwarming video of a disabled Ukranian soldier proposing to his girlfriend has gone viral on social media.

Roman Dobryak proposed to his partner, Julia Matushchak, this summer amid Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine.

Dobryak sustained an injury to one of his legs from shelling during an attack by Russian troops in May. Sharing an update to Instagram at the time, he said his leg “could not be saved” and was amputated from the knee down.

In a viral video, which has received more than 3m likes, Dobryak is seen holding a crutch in one hand and being helped onto one knee by another man.

Matuschak sits on a railing in front of him, blindfolded, while a crowd of people gathers around them.

Once Dobryak is in position, a woman removes Matuschak’s blindfold while the crowd brandishes coloured smoke flares.

Dobryak smiled widely as he presented Matuschak with the engagement ring after she accepted the proposal.

Sharing the sweet moment to his Instagram, he captioned the post: “The soul flew to heaven! Full moon.”

Matuschak also shared the video to her own Instagram page, adding the caption: “Only yours.”

Another picture showed the bride-to-be holding a huge bouquet of roses, while kissing Dobryak.

The video has been hailed by some social media users as “one of the most beautiful proposals”.

“Blessings to all who were part of this beautiful engagement. The groom was so happy and teamwork pays off,” one person wrote.

“What a beautiful love story,” another said. A third person wrote: “Love wins, always.”

“Everyone understood the assignment. This is so beautiful,” another person said.

Russia’s war on Ukraine has now entered its eighth month after Vladmir Putin launched an invasion of the country on 24 February.

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