Two Ukrainian women in love were torn apart by Putin’s war. They never stopped fighting to reunite.

Polina Muzhychkova and Sofia Malina fell in love fast. At 17 and 19, respectively, they met in Mariupol, Ukraine, and began dating. But a month later, the Russian Army invaded – and obliterated –their city. They were quickly torn apart, forced to flee and hide with their respective families. A recent profile in the New York Times depicts their valiant (and successful) efforts over two years to find their way back to each other. Malina and her mother were detained in a basement for four days by Russian soldiers. When they were inexplicably released, they escaped to Ukrainian-held territory.