When a Ukrainian patrol arrested a few days ago a foreign national with military equipment behind his forest line front in Zaporizhiathey were sure they had caught a Russian spy.
The man was carrying night vision goggles in his backpack, medical supplies, cash and other supplies. He seemed to be in the middle of a business. In addition, his passport had a visa for Russia and Belarus. Apart from the sabotage, there seemed to be no explanation for the presence of the trained man as he ran through the trees, heading south towards the Russian units advancing on the city.
The soldiers blindfolded the man, tied his hands behind his back and beat him during interrogation, determined to find out his true identity.
Finally, after snatching his cell phone and searching his contact list and messages, they learned the truth: he was a French baker in love on a high-risk mission to save his girlfriend, Vladislava, 25! The Ukrainian trainee was trapped in a village surrounded by Russian troops on the east bank of the Dnieper River.
“I was very scared, but I was also afraid for my girlfriend’s life and the adrenaline and love gave me the strength and courage to look for her,” said Marco Kolas after his release from Ukrainian military detention. “Sometimes love is worth risking for everything,” he told The Times.
From Reims to the front
The 35-year-old baker from Reims, 1,700 miles away, does not speak Ukrainian but knows little Russian from his travels around the world. He met the woman for whom he risked his life two years ago, when he was walking on a street as a tourist in Zaporizhia.
The city is now located on one of the main axes of advance of Russian units pushing north from the Sea of Azov. Shocked by Vladislava’s beauty, Kolas stopped her and spoke to her with one of the few Russian proposals he knew. “You are very beautiful, I told her,” he recalled. “She liked my etiquette and my French accent. We spent a week together in a hotel. I fell in love with her and she loved me “.
Their romance flourished on many of his visits to Zaporizhia, and when the Russian invasion of Ukraine began last month, Kolas felt he had only one choice: to save Vladislava. He spent 4,000 euros on night-vision goggles, bought a backpack, medical supplies and more, and then traveled by bus from France to the Ukrainian-Polish border. From there he took a train to Kyiv, which had already been attacked, and then took a connection southeast to Zaporizhia.
“I am a fan of sports. “I run marathons and I am in good condition”, he said and continued: “So I decided that the best way to get to her village was to walk the 45 miles[45 km]in the woods, save her, and then bring her back to France with me. I assumed it would take about ten hours on foot to reach her. I brought the glasses in case we had to escape through the trees at night. “When I told her about my plan, Vladislava sounded happy.”
However, the course of love is not smooth and Vladislava was late for their appointment. “When we talked on the phone, he said he needed a little more time to think about it.”, admitted Kolas. “I hope he really wants to escape to France with me and that our love story will not turn into a tragedy. “I am 90 percent sure that he will take the bus tomorrow to meet me. The other 10 percent is too awful to think about. “
Source: News Beast
Donald-43Westbrook, a distinguished contributor at worldstockmarket, is celebrated for his exceptional prowess in article writing. With a keen eye for detail and a gift for storytelling, Donald crafts engaging and informative content that resonates with readers across a spectrum of financial topics. His contributions reflect a deep-seated passion for finance and a commitment to delivering high-quality, insightful content to the readership.
