After Losing Her Home in Bakhmut, a Former Border Guard Keeps Serving Ukraine’s State Migration Service

Veterans Inside the Migration Service: Anastasia Zhifarska’s Story of Devotion, Love, and Strength

According to Державна міграційна служба: Having served in border guard institutions since 2017, Anastasia Zhifarska now continues her duties at the State Migration Service (DMS) in Khmelnytskyi region. Her story is one of determination and loyalty to Ukraine, and it also reflects the broader toll the full-scale war has taken on families who work for the country’s defense and security.

Since 2018, she has been assigned to the Kramatorsk border guard unit alongside her husband, Oleh, a serviceman originally from Bakhmut who remains on active duty. Anastasia comes from Volochysk. The couple first met in 2012, when Oleh was a cadet and Anastasia was a student at the National Academy of the State Border Guard Service named after Bohdan Khmelnytskyi. In 2017, she began her military career at the “Kyiv” separate checkpoint. Over the following four years, the two served together in a combat zone and went through severe hardships, including the loss of their family home in Bakhmut after the full-scale invasion began.

“From our very first look at each other, we understood: this life would be ours to share together.” Anastasia Zhifarska

For Anastasia, serving alongside her husband has deep meaning. “Whenever I mentally revisit what happened last year, I am more certain than ever that standing close to the person I love in such a hard moment for our country was one more right decision I have made,” she says.

Even when they are apart, the bond remains strong. “Once again, distance separates us... but family unites us, along with a shared commitment to serve our state and our people,” she notes.

Their experience, she says, mirrors the strength found in many Ukrainian households. “Our family’s story and the path we chose are an example of the steadfastness of many Ukrainian families, where love becomes a real force that helps overcome every trial and move forward with confidence - toward victory and a peaceful future for Ukraine.”

Anastasia and Oleh Zhifarsky stand as symbols of loyalty, endurance, and love in wartime. Their journey shows how family bonds can carry people through the most difficult moments.

Their story is not only personal; it captures a larger reality in Ukraine, where members of the armed forces and their loved ones face countless challenges caused by war and social disruption. Their mutual support and devotion to duty underscore the importance of unity and family values in hard times. It also offers an inspiring example of courage and resilience in Ukraine’s efforts to achieve peace and stability.