Sitting in a wine bar in Kyiv on a Saturday night, Daria, 34, opens a dating app, scrolls, then puts her phone away. She's been single for a long time. "I haven't had a proper date since before the war," she says. Khrystyna, 28, says it's noticeable that there are fewer men around. She lives in the western city of Lviv and has been trying to meet a partner through dating apps without much luck.
Even committed couples suffer from the uncertainty of war. Olena, 33, has come to a fertility clinic on the outskirts of Lviv for a check-up. She is a policewoman and military instructor who is currently freezing her eggs, as it has been difficult for her and her husband to conceive. At some point, Olena says, they will try IVF – though only while "taking into account my work and the situation in the country". |
