Anna Kozlov had only been a newlywed for three days when she bid her husband Boris adieu. He was off to fight in the Red Army and she would await his return—or so they thought. During Boris’s time away from home, Stalin exiled Anna and her family to Siberia, and Anna couldn’t even leave word for her husband. Boris spent years looking for her. The two shared a hometown, but Anna was barred from visiting it, so the two completely lost contact.
Anna was so distraught that she seriously contemplated suicide. Her mother then destroyed all mementos of Boris and Anna’s life together, including wedding photographs and letters. She eventually remarried. Boris, unbeknownst to her, did the same.
Years passed, and both lost their spouses. And then, 60 years after Boris and Anna had said “I do,” something miraculous happened. Anna at last managed to visit their shared hometown of Borovlyanka when she saw an elderly manin the distance. It was Boris. He’d come to the village to pay his respects at his parents’ burial site, and when he noticed Anna, he ran up to her. In true fairytale fashion, they had a second wedding and lived happily ever after.
