A Briton has revealed how he fell head over heels in love with a Ukrainian refugee after seeing her picture – using Google Translate to woo her.
Luke Dickinson, 28, from Bristol, walked bride Vira Klimova, a 37-year-old accountant, down the aisle in late September, less than three months after she started messaging each other using the popular internet translation site .
Vira, 37, a mother of one, was left homeless after Russian forces invaded Odessa on February 24, leaving the apartment she shared with her 15-year-old daughter devastated.
The refugee gathered a single carry bag full of belongings and fled with her teenage daughter.
Happy: Shopfitter Luke Dickinson, 28, from Bristol met his new wife Vira Klimova, 37, via a Facebook group earlier this year – using Google Translate to communicate (Pictured: The couple on their wedding day in September, with Vira’s daughter, Karina, 15)
The couple struck up an online friendship after fleeing Odessa after the Russian invasion – and she fled with her daughter Karina, 15, to Moldova before being sponsored by a host in Bristol, where she met Luke .
Luke took her out on a date in July and the couple had a whirlwind romance, married in September – and said they would like to start a family together
The couple decided to go to Moldova and were there when storekeeper Luke made contact through an online group. He had logged on to see if he could do anything to help those fleeing the war.
He explains: “The groups were for people trying to get out of Ukraine, England, looking for help and advice or just someone to talk to. When we started chatting, Vira was already sorted and had her documents ready.
“But I had seen his picture and I was like ‘Ooh hello! So I sent him a private message.”‘
The couple started chatting whenever they could, sometimes setting aside an hour a day to text while Vira waited for approval to travel to Britain.
“I didn’t really think it would go anywhere because it was halfway to Europe,” Luke said. “Then she said she was coming to England.”
“We had laughs and jokes, the sense of humor was perfect. Everyone always says nobody understands the English sense of humor, but she does.
Luke says Vira has her ‘English sense of humor’ perfectly and the couple no longer need to use Google Translate to communicate
Vira, an accountant from Odessa, takes English lessons, learns to drive and converts her Ukrainian accountancy qualifications so she can work in the UK
Luke says that while Vira wanted a traditional English wedding, touches of her heritage are apparent in their day-to-day life, including making her homeland beetroot soup.
“We used Google Translate for every message because she didn’t understand English.” I really liked him, so it didn’t matter.
It took the mother and daughter weeks to travel across Europe, first to Moldova before heading to Budapest in Hungary and then Holland.
The families on the way showed the couple such kindness, the couple said, offering them accommodation and food as well as friendship for the short time they were there.
When she arrived in Holland, Vira was able to choose between continuing in Australia, Canada or the UK. She had a Moldavian friend who had moved to Bristol for work and so chose the southwestern city as her base after offering to be her sponsor.
Vira and Karina arrived in Britain on April 6 where she moved in with her sponsor.
She immediately started taking English lessons, learning to drive and also converting her Ukrainian accountancy qualifications so she could work in the UK.
Luke invited her to his home on July 3, saying he was very nervous about meeting in person.
“I asked her if she wanted to have a drink in my hot tub as a first date,” jokes Luke. “At this point I thought I liked him, but we would see what happened and if anything developed.
Vira’s daughter Karina is also enrolled at school in Bristol and is said to get on well with her new stepdad
The couple are now hoping to have children and although Vira is still living with her godfather, she plans to move in with Luke in December.
Kindness: Vira says she experienced the goodwill of families who helped her and her daughter after leaving Ukraine
“At this point, she spoke a little English. We were trying to have a conversation, everything was in English, and if she didn’t understand something, I just pulled out Google Translate.
“If she didn’t know how to say something, she would do the same. It was a very strong initial attraction, for her too. She stayed the night and I was late the next day.
After their first date, the couple were inseparable, going on another date in Bristol over the weekend. They also enjoyed trips to London and Weymouth – and Vira wanted to see Stonehenge.
Luke says he was immediately won over. “I knew I wanted to marry her after two weeks,” he said. “I don’t really know why, that was it. It’s a cliche but we just clicked and that was it.
“We both agreed that we both want to do it and do it now. We didn’t want to wait.
He popped the question during a visit to London on August 23 as they enjoyed steak at a restaurant near Tower Bridge. And Vira did not hesitate to say yes.
The couple married at the Bristol Register Office on September 30, followed by a reception at The Library cocktail bar. Vira gave a speech in English and Ukrainian in recognition of her homeland.
And Luke says that while she wanted a traditional English wedding, touches of her heritage are apparent in their daily lives.
If she didn’t understand something, I just pulled out Google Translate. It was a very strong initial attraction, for her too. She stayed the night and I was late the next day…
She loves to cook Luke borscht – a Ukrainian beetroot soup. The couple also watched Eurovision-winning Ukrainian band perform in Bristol, while Luke learns the language from Vira.
However, Luke says Vira is devastated every day by the sad situation in her country. Friends were also killed in the conflict. He says, “She feels upset every day about what is happening at home. Friends died and were injured, his house disappeared.
“It’s only been a few days that she hasn’t been upset because her family has now arrived in Poland.
“It’s her hope that one day she can take me back to Ukraine and I can’t wait.”
Vira has three sisters and while two are now safe in Poland with her mother, one still lives in an occupied village in Ukraine. His two brothers were also captured by the Russians early in the war but have since escaped.
The couple are now hoping to have children and although Vira is still living with her godfather, she plans to move in with Luke in December.
Karina – whose father died when she was little – studies at Bristol City Academy and she and Luke get along like a house on fire. The couple hope to be able to celebrate a second marriage in Ukraine one day.
“She just feels lucky to be safe,” adds Luke. “His friends say it’s hell out there – or worse.”
And the communication of the couple? He says: “At the moment we are half English and half Ukrainian. We don’t really use Translate anymore.
Vira says, “I can’t believe how I come back from a war and have to leave my house and end up finding the only man for me. We both knew right away that we were meant to be. My friends envy me for having found my husband.
They say their relationship is the only good thing that came out of mad Russian President Vladimir Putin attacking Vira’s home country.
Luke says, “Something good came out of it for us. If it hadn’t happened, we would never have met, it’s as simple as that.
