Iuliia Mendel is a journalist and former press secretary for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
A native of the town of New York in the eastern Donbas region, 44-year-old Kateryna — who requested we use only her first name — has dreamed of joining the army since she was 6 years old. Back then, women had limited functions in the Soviet military, mostly focused on helping male soldiers and not actually fighting. In Ukraine, that has changed: Kateryna is one of many Ukrainian women who have joined the war effort — including on the front lines — to perform a variety of crucial roles in response to our country’s urgent situation.
In 2016, Ukraine expanded the list of positions for servicewomen. Ukrainian women can now hold 63 more positions, including as marksmen and snipers. The changes were the result of military experience: When Russia attacked Ukraine’s eastern region of Donbas two years earlier, many servicewomen working, for example, as cooks or liaison officers were actually performing military duties in combat positions. But their payments and titles did not reflect the fact they were risking their lives. The rules were changed to adapt to this new reality.
As soon as Ukrainian women were allowed to fight, Kateryna — a divorced mother of two — joined the army. For her, the issue was personal: The Russians were attacking her native Donbas.
“In my philosophy, it’s normal. It doesn’t matter if you’re a man or a woman — you protect the future of your children,” she told me.
Kateryna is a champion in kickboxing and has worked as a trainer for different forms of martial arts, including combat Hopak, a Ukrainian national dance that preserved certain combat elements, she explains. She quit the army after a year to care for her children. But when Russia invaded this year, she returned to the front line — first as part of a self-formed military defense unit and later officially as a member of the marine unit. She told me that now “it is okay to be a woman warrior in Ukraine.”
There are 37,000 women in the Ukrainian army, and more than 1,000 have already become commanders, according to Ukraine’s first lady, Olena Zelenska.
Valeriia Lira, 28, from the northern region of Sumy, also joined the army. She was formerly a chef of Japanese food and a journalist. In 2014, when Russia invaded Donbas, Valeriia first helped on the home front. Now she is a press officer in a military unit in western Ukraine. She is responsible for information flows, takes journalists to the front lines, and brings Ukrainian soldiers food and support from volunteers.
“My daughter was 3 years old when I joined the army,” Valeriia told me. “Her childhood began with her mother knitting (camouflage) nets, collecting things and food.”
Valeriia told me her breaking point was when she got a message that a soldier she knew from the front lines had tried to call her; when she called back, she learned that he was killed in battle.
“It was a turning point — I felt that helping from the rear wasn’t enough to make a difference,” she said.
Marharyta Ryvchachenko, 25, is originally from Kharkiv. She left her position as an assistant to a member of parliament and a public relations manager in Kyiv to join the military defense unit this year. After her hometown was heavily bombed and shelled, she felt the best thing she could do was devote herself to supporting the army. As Marharyta had training in tactical medicine, she was recruited as a paramedic.
“I’m not allowed to draw a bullet. But I can bandage a wound, stop bleeding, provide first aid,” Marharyta said. “There is a critical shortage of medics. Every day, new medics are sent to the front line. Every day, I can be among them.”
At the beginning of the war, as supplies were scarce, she was on the lookout for medicine. Now, they have everything they need, she told me, showing large boxes behind her back in the video call.
I asked the women if they wanted to continue serving in the army after the war. But they all had their own plans: to train athletes, to open a Japanese food restaurant, to write articles. They are looking forward to a peaceful life. But for now, they serve in the war, prepared for everything — and sacrificing for their country.
