Polina
Karabut
Wife of a servicemember
Polina, the project manager of the “Veteran’s Wife” initiative and the wife of a servicemember, is originally from the Luhansk region. The full-scale war found her as a student in Sievierodonetsk. Later, she moved to Kyiv to build her life and be useful on the home front, while also helping her brother at the front — searching for equipment and sending packages.
“I had to grow up early,” she admits.
The turning point came in 2023, when Polina’s older brother was killed. “I was 21 at the time, and I had to take responsibility for a life that had suddenly become completely different,” she recalls.
Three months after her loss, Mykhailo messaged her on Instagram. It turned out he was also from Sievierodonetsk and was serving in the military. He managed to support Polina through her darkest period — people around her even began to notice that she was smiling again. A few months later, they went on their first date. Their second took place in the Carpathians, where he invited her during his leave. Two years later, they got married.
Polina speaks openly about the difference between civilian and military love: “In a relationship with a civilian, you can stretch out the ‘honeymoon phase,’ but with a military partner it’s different. Decisions are made quickly and intuitively. You can’t plan trips or postpone life for ‘someday,’ because that ‘someday’ might never come. There is only ‘now.’ It teaches you to value time and to be present for each other, even at a distance.”
Now, Polina is convinced that Ukraine should introduce an official status of “military spouse.” These women often put their own dreams on hold, becoming the most reliable support system for their partners. They need recognition and support.
She found her own source of strength in the “Veteran’s Wife” project.
«It’s about strength and living despite everything. It’s here that I found a community where nothing needs to be explained, because you are already understood and accepted,” she says.
Speaking about the time after victory, Polina has no illusions. She believes it will be difficult, and that society must start preparing now for the return of veterans: creating jobs, social support systems, and conditions for adaptation. “And most importantly — respecting the military. Right now, it’s not enough,” Polina concludes.