In love with each other and with their country: those who serve the Motherland and people will start their families at the Wedding Festival
The III All-Russian Wedding Festival, which will take place on 8-9 July at the National Centre RUSSIA, will unite truly loving hearts. Among the participants are many couples whose lives are devoted to serving people and the Motherland and who are always ready to help those in need: teachers, doctors, service personnel, rescuers, blood donors and volunteers — all those whose lives and actions deserve respect.
On the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity, Denis Timofeyev and Viktoria Sobyanina from the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Area will register their marriage. Denis and Viktoria have been together for many years, and their shared life is inseparable from service to the country and helping others.
Denis is an employee of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation. He regularly provides humanitarian and legal assistance to people facing difficult life circumstances. Viktoria is a paramedic with the ambulance service in Salekhard. In addition to her work with the city's emergency medical service, she is actively involved in volunteering, including visits to hospitals to help wounded servicemen. Viktoria is the winner of the regional competition "Heroes Among Us" and recipient of several other awards.
"We dream that the birth of our family will become part of the wedding festival because our love deserves the loudest 'I do!' in the heart of our beloved Motherland," confess Denis and Viktoria.
Vasily Shcherbakov and Larisa Denisenko from the Donetsk People's Republic will also start their family at the festival. The future husband and wife are volunteers. Vasily regularly helps participants in the special military operation and beneficiaries of the charitable foundation "We Are Nearby", headed by the woman he loves. Larisa has been involved in volunteering since 2016 — she previously organised visits to children's homes, and since 2022 she has been collecting humanitarian aid for residents of Donbas. Several years ago, Vasily and Larisa moved to Donetsk, where they now live, work and help people.
"When the question arose of where we should live, we chose Donbas. Our personal story became part of the history of this land. Its pain and its hopes have become ours as well. We represent Donbas because we live it every day. We see not only destruction but also the strength of people rebuilding their homes, and the power of children's smiles, for which it is worth working. We see the future. Our family is not only about the two of us, it is also about the cause we serve. Love for another person and love for the Motherland are one and the same for us," say Vasily and Larisa.
Another couple whose lives are closely connected with helping others are Alexander Kashirin and Ksenia Vyarya from the Republic of Karelia. The groom is an athlete, poet, coach and public figure. Alexander heads the Paralympic Committee of the Republic of Karelia and leads both a social rehabilitation centre and a martial arts and rehabilitation centre where veterans of military operations who have sustained injuries or disabilities can participate in adaptive sport free of charge. Alexander is also the winner of numerous sporting, literary and volunteering competitions and the author of several poetry collections. His bride Ksenia is a student at Petrozavodsk State University and Press Secretary of the Sports Federation for Persons with Musculoskeletal Disabilities of the Republic of Karelia. Ksenia is a media volunteer at regional festivals and heads a project providing speech therapy rehabilitation and corrective support for young families raising children with speech disorders. The couple value the work they do and strive to do everything possible for others, but for them family will always come first.
"Family is the principal and most careful witness to our lives. At a time when everything around us speaks of the importance of a personal brand, family remains the only place where one can afford the luxury of being an ordinary human — with all the cracks, like those an old book has, and all their inner light," Alexander and Ksenia emphasise.
Helping others, and especially children, is the vocation of Dmitry Ostapenko and Diana Doronina from the Belgorod Region. Dmitry is a special education teacher at Pogorelovskaya Secondary School, while Diana works as a cultural organiser at the Cultural and Sports Centre in the village of Pogorelovka. The future husband and wife love working with children and are grateful for the opportunity to do so.
"When the time came to choose a profession, I did not have to search for long. I realised that my calling was to help those who need a little more time. That is why I became a speech therapist. Now I am someone who helps to build bridges," says Dmitry.
His bride Diana added: "The most remarkable discovery for me was communicating with children. In their eyes I saw the same pure and sincere wonder at the world that had always lived within me. I realised that I wanted not only to create for myself but to share that magic with the very youngest."
Dmitry Korniyenko and Anastasia Birkova from the Vladimir Region will also seal their union in marriage. The groom serves in the ranks of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, while the bride works for the Ministry of Internal Affairs as an inspector for juvenile affairs.
In addition to their service, the couple regularly participate in patriotic and volunteer initiatives. Dmitry has repeatedly taken part in events organised by the Defenders of the Fatherland Foundation, helping servicemen who take part in the special military operation and their families. Anastasia helped organise Children's Day celebrations in the city of Vladimir and delivered lectures for children in local schools.
The couple met while on duty — a fire had broken out in one of the residential buildings in Vladimir, and each was carrying out their professional responsibilities at the scene. They remember collecting operational information and standing beside a police vehicle covered in soot, yet somehow feeling happy. They exchanged telephone numbers and continued communicating outside work. Very quickly, they realised that being together was their destiny.
"We want to marry at the III All-Russian Wedding Festival and become an example for young people living in our country. We can show that, despite all difficulties, it is possible to stay by each other's side, turn dreams into reality and serve our country," emphasise Dmitry and Anastasia.
Many couples for whom service to people and the Motherland is an inseparable part of life will take part in the III All-Russian Wedding Festival. Doctors, scientists, military personnel, law enforcement officers, participants in humanitarian missions, donors and volunteers will formalise their unions and continue helping others.
This year, the All-Russian Wedding Festival is expanding its horizons. Alongside couples from all over the country, international and foreign couples will also say "I do" to one another at the National Centre RUSSIA. The festival is organised by the National Centre RUSSIA together with the Government of Moscow and the Moscow Civil Registry Office.
Wedding ceremonies will also take place at the National Centre RUSSIA branches in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area — Yugra and the Primorye Territory.
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