Russian man ties knot with Ukrainian girlfriend in Hindu ceremony in Himachal Pradesh

In a testament to the decades-old sayings around love being limitless and unconditional, a Russian man tied the knot with his Ukrainian girlfriend as netizens extended best wishes to the couple and praised them for spreading a message that love wins over war. Amid the ongoing Moscow-Kyiv war in Eastern Europe, the couple found their way to solemnise their wedding in India's Himachal Pradesh. According to the ANI news agency, Sergei Novikov, an Israeli citizen of Russian origin married his Ukrainian girlfriend Elona Bramoka in a traditional Hindu ceremony in Dharamshala on Thursday, August 2..

Watch the video of the wedding here:

The media reports claimed that the duo has been in a relationship for more than two years. They had been staying in Himachal Pradesh's Dharamkot village since 2021. The area is also known as Tel Aviv of the Indian state as a large number of Israeli citizens have been living in the region. Meanwhile, the marriage ceremony was solemnised according to the Hindu traditions at the Radha Krishna temple of Divya Ashram at Kharota village. The duo took seven vows and a translator described to them the meaning of the rituals and hymns while they were taking seven circumambulations around the sacred fire. As per reports, locals in Himachal hosted the wedding and performed all the rituals including Elona’s Kanyadan.

Locals attend the wedding and danced to Himachali folk songs

In the video, which is now viral on social media platforms, the bride can be seen wearing a lehenga-choli and red embroidered dupatta, while the groom decked in a traditional Indian garb -- a kurta pyjama, achkan, pagdi and sehra. Besides, a few foreigners, locals attended the wedding ceremony and made the couple feel at home. As weddings in India are all about fun and large gatherings, the locals danced to Himachali folk songs.

 It is crucial to note here that both countries-- Russia and Ukraine-- engaged in the war on February 24 this year and since then thousands of Ukrainian civilians have been killed while millions fled their motherland to escape the Russian shellings. 

Netizens extend best wishes to the couple

Image: ANI