It has been almost a year since the Russia-Ukraine war. Meanwhile, it has been learned that thousands of women have voluntarily joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine since 2014. This was the time when Russia started annexing Crimea and territories in eastern Ukraine. In the past nine years, the number of women serving in the Ukrainian military has more than doubled since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Women in Ukraine have served in the armed forces since the country declared independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. But till the beginning of the war in 2014, she was mainly in supporting roles. They then started serving in combat roles in 2016 and all military roles were opened to them in 2022.
However, many women in non-combat roles, such as medics, are exposed to the same dangers and hardships as their male and female colleagues firing weapons. According to Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliyar, by the summer of 2022 more than 50,000 women had been recruited by the armed forces, with about 38,000 serving in uniform. Women are now with the front line units. However, women in the armed forces are being taken as prisoners of war by the Russians, Hannah Maliar said. Ukrainian doctor Yulia Pevska was imprisoned for three months.
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patriarchal thinking is changing
Ukraine is a country with strong patriarchal traditions, especially in the defense sector. But during this war, Ukrainian women soldiers are being increasingly accepted by Ukrainian society and the country’s political leadership. A sign of recognition of the presence of women in ratings of their contribution to the military and society was when National Guard Day was renamed in 2021 as the Day of Male and Female Defenders of Ukraine.
more signs of change
Photos of military women are now regularly used by the Ministry of Defense in its social media posts. Women soldiers of Ukraine are also often in discussion while talking about their military experiences. There are also about 8,000 female officers by October 2022, and one of Ukraine’s deputy defense ministers is a woman.
Entry of women in the army is not indisputable
But the presence of women in the Ukrainian Armed Forces has not been without controversy. Some analysts caution against assuming that images and videos in the news and social media showing women on the front lines mean they find equality with those men. Ukraine’s female soldiers still have to contend with issues such as uniforms and body armour, as well as practical difficulties from commanders and fellow soldiers regarding their commitment and abilities, barriers to promotion and career development
Women are more vulnerable to sexual violence. As such, many Ukrainian female combatants mentioned in interviews with journalists that they must avoid capture by any means and that they are prepared to die rather than be captured by the Russians.