Mister and Miss united their hearts on the stage of the National Centre RUSSIA
The long-awaited words "Will you marry me?" were once again heard on the stage of the National Centre RUSSIA. On 5 November, during the Forum marking the 15th anniversary of the LizaAlert volunteer search-and-rescue team, Maxim — known by the call sign "Mister" — proposed to his colleague Yelena, known in the team as "Miss".
Yelena and Maxim are volunteers of the LizaAlert search-and-rescue team. For many years they have been helping to find missing people. Originally from the Lipetsk and Oryol regions, they work in different areas of the organisation: Yelena is responsible for the press service and external communications, while Maxim oversees unmanned aviation and cartography. Fate brought them together through their search work, and since then their story has become an example of how shared goals and selflessness can unite hearts.
The couple first met in April 2021 during a search operation. Without LizaAlert, their paths would hardly have crossed — they lived hundreds of kilometres apart.
"I was the information coordinator for the search of an elderly woman and requested a drone. Maxim from the neighbouring Oryol region responded, but didn’t manage fly out as the woman was found that night. We started chatting and calling each other. During the next search — again for a missing elderly woman — I, as the coordinator, asked him to come and fly the drone," recalls Yelena.
When they finally met in person, Yelena and Maxim were instantly drawn to each other. Communication, meetings, and eventually the decision to move in together followed. To be with his beloved, Maxim moved from Oryol to the Lipetsk region.
"We always go on search operations together and only in the same 'fox' unit (a foot search group). We help each other in everything. Without his support, I wouldn’t have dared to take on the responsibility of becoming a regional representative," Yelena shared.
The couple travelled together to the forum at the National Centre RUSSIA as well. However, Maxim kept his decision to propose a secret. Today, before hundreds of spectators, he went down on one knee before Yelena. And the girl said "Yes".
Event photobank
More than 400 events and 650,000 livestream views, film premieres, and the gala concert "Contemporary Musical Map of Russia" — these were among the highlights of the "Peoples of Russia and the CIS" festival.
