For many months now, Valery and Valentin have been living in Valentin’s homeland, Chişinău, the capital of Moldova. After fleeing Russia due to the war and mounting homophobia, the couple is adjusting to being together without worrying that they could be arrested for being gay. In an interview with Moldovan media outlet NewsMaker, they talked about their experience of living in homophobic Russia, how Moldova is (not) different in this sense, how their escape was hastened by the declared mobilization, and how in Chişinău, for the first time in their lives, they participated in a Pride event and even submitted an application to register their marriage. Global Voices is republishing the interview’s video with shortened transcripts with permission from NewsMaker.