female power: The Russian invasion of the land of Ukraine turned populated cities into firegrounds, placed residences on the front line – and did not spare the elderly, women and children either. In the shadow of the fighting against the Russian forces, a surprising presence of the female species on the battlefield, which grew more and more throughout the war, stood out in particular.
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“Over 50,000 women are fighting in the armed forces of Ukraine, of which more than 5,000 are currently on the frontline,” Deputy Defense Minister Hana Maliar stated this week. Considering these numbers, the deputy minister noted, Ukraine has one of the highest rates of women in the military, compared to NATO member states.
Women of #Ukraine addressing the invaders: We join the men and the Ukrainian Army. We have already taken our children to safety. We will destroy the enemy on every inch of Ukrainian land. #FreeUkraine #UkraineUnderAttask #UkraineRussianWar #NoWarInUkraine pic.twitter.com/fqtupxYxQ1
— Anonymous Operations (@AnonOpsSE) March 7, 2022
Maliar clarified that in addition to the 38,000 women who serve in the army, there are also civilians employed in the country’s fighting forces. For comparison, in 2020 24,897 women served in the army, in 2017 – more than 23 thousand, and in 2008 there were only 1,800.
As mentioned, due to the fighting against Moscow, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense significantly expanded the number of women serving in the military forces, but as of 2021, women made up almost 25% of the members of the armed forces of Ukraine.
In the first section of the law on military service in the country, it is written that “women perform a military role on an equal basis with men, which includes voluntary acceptance and recruitment for military service, service in the reserves, fulfilling a military role in the reserves and compliance with the rules of military accounting”. Since June 2016, women have been allowed to serve in combat units.
#Ukrainian army #training of #women recruits probably won’t win them any awards.#Ukraine‘s Defense Ministry has significantly expanded the pool of Ukrainian women required to register for military conscription, as it becomes increasingly difficult to find male recruits. pic.twitter.com/uH2junXjIO
— CommonSense (@HaMuFa2020) July 12, 2022
just the tip of the iceberg
The number of female servants in the armed forces of Ukraine has doubled since 2015, and today they man the military positions at the front and in the rear equally with men. But at the same time, in terms of the uniform, an adapted version has not yet been created for them.
In order of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense No. 238, there is one uniform standard for uniforms – for men only. Women’s uniforms are provided for formal ceremonies only, and include a coat, skirt and high heels.
“Women are on the front line every day since 2014,” Kyiv councilor Irina Nikork told the BBC. “The sizes and style of men’s clothes do not match women’s,” she explains, “women have to sew the uniforms or adjust them with pins in the field, it’s uncomfortable and impairs function.” So although the women are stationed in the most explosive areas in the campaign against Moscow, in terms of equality there is still room to strive for.