Conflicts in Ukraine: Strained Marriages Amidst Ongoing War: Impact on Matrimonial Relationships in War-affected Ukraine
In the heart of eastern Ukraine, the ongoing conflict has taken a heavy toll on marriages and families, with prolonged close confinement, war, and freezing winter conditions contributing to increased emotional stress, trauma, and social disruption.
Iryna Pavlova, 56, still resides in western Ukraine, missing her husband, Viktor, who was tragically killed in a cluster bomb attack in Siversk in July. Iryna spent the weekend trying to obtain a death certificate for her beloved husband, and visited her house for the first time since his demise.
In Siversk, a former front-line community that was shelled nearly to destruction last summer by Russian forces, Oleksander Murenets and Lyudmila Murenets have been living in a basement sanctuary for 10 months. The couple, who have been married for four years, are spending more time together due to the war and the confined living conditions are causing stress in their relationship. They have different twin beds in the basement shelter, as they did before.
Lyudmila is seeking mental escape through science fiction stories due to the arguments with her husband and the worsening winter conditions. However, she finds solace in the company of their apartment neighbors, as she can easily go to them for a book if she needs a break.
Oleksander takes noticeable pride in caring for Tamara Sirenko, who is a diabetic with a puffy leg that requires daily bandaging. Tamara acknowledges that she couldn't manage without Oleksander's care. The pair have been living together in a basement shelter for eight months.
Before the war, Oleksander worked at the office while Lyudmila stayed at home. The intense environmental and combat stress have created an extreme setting of hardship, living in cramped shelters or frontline positions during harsh winters restricts privacy and increases tensions. Constant fear, insecurity, and witnessing violence—including widespread reports of sexual violence against women by soldiers—place additional burdens on marital bonds.
The trauma and disruption caused impair communication, exacerbate conflict, and in many cases lead to separations or dysfunction within families. While direct detailed studies specifically on marriages under these exact circumstances in eastern Ukraine are limited, it is well-established from related conflict research that such extreme conditions contribute to a high incidence of marital stress, breakdown, and trauma-related dysfunction.
In Siversk, the Ukrainians managed to push out the Russian forces, but homes, schools, and factories are now in ruins and most of the community's pre-war population of 12,000 have left. The pair is facing an absence of phone service, limited access to drinking water, and their only heat source is a woodstove.
Despite the challenges, Oleksander ensures that Tamara remains in a good mood, despite the war. Iryna, on the other hand, misses her husband and wishes to hug him. The ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine continues to take a heavy toll on marriages and families, with the hope of peace and reunification ever present.
[1] Reference omitted for brevity.
- The ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine has significantly impacted relationships, with marriages and families suffering from stress, trauma, and social disruption due to war, close confinement, and harsh winter conditions.
- In Siversk, a former front-line community, married couple Oleksander Murenets and Lyudmila Murenets live in a basement sanctuary, their relationship facing stress due to the confined living conditions brought about by war.
- Political aspects, like the ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine, can create extreme settings of hardship that can lead to marital stress, breakdown, and trauma-related dysfunction, as seen in the case of Iryna Pavlova, whose husband was tragically killed in a cluster bomb attack.
- Amidst the general news of war, destruction, and displacement in Siversk, there are glimpses of love and dating persisting in the form of Oleksander taking care of Tamara Sirenko, creating a small beacon of stability amidst the chaos.
