'I'm not going without you.' Ukrainian lovers defy the rules of war
KHERSON, Ukraine — Several weeks before Russian troops captured the provincial capital of Kherson, Ludmila Taranov was scrolling through an online dating site, looking for someone to have coffee with — someone to take her mind off her troubles.
Taranov, 31, was teaching disabled children at a public school, and, with a master's degree in English and Russian, she also taught English on the side. Divorced, she lived with her mother, her sister and brother-in-law, and their infant son. When she wasn't at school, she was taking care of her mother, who'd been ill.
Taranov needed to get out of the house.
"I like sports," she'd written in her profile. "I'm active, and I work out a lot. If you're OK with that, maybe we can meet for coffee." She posed at the gym for profile photos in black tights and top; her makeup and long blond hair
