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The couple had dreams of a big family. They would have five children, who would have their father’s mop of curls, his smile and dreamy eyes. They would teach the children how to paint and make pottery and take them on long walks in the forests near their hometown, Sloviansk, in eastern Ukraine.
Then Russia invaded their country, shattering their plans. The husband, Vitaly Kyrkach-Antonenko, volunteered to fight and died on the battlefield when his wife, Nataliya, was three months pregnant with their first child.
Now, still deep in mourning, she says she will not give up their dream. She intends to give siblings to her firstborn. Like hundreds of other Ukrainian soldiers, Vitaly froze his sperm before heading back to battle in the hope that if he did not make it home, he could still pass on his genes.
For many Ukrainians, the idea of saving soldiers’ sperm is at once personal and patriotic. It helps men who want to ensure something of themselves remains if they die, and it brings comfort to their partners. In a country now famous...