Ukrainian Servicewomen ‘War Has No Gender’

As of October 2023, there were almost 43 thousand female servicemen in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Ukraine has one of the highest rates of women in the armed forces among the armies of the world, including NATO armies. In the past, women primarily served in auxiliary positions such as doctors, signalmen, or cooks. However, with the onset of full-scale hostilities in February 2022, more and more women have taken on combat roles such as driving combat vehicles, operating grenade launchers, machine guns, snipers, and drones. Many women also serve as commanders of combat vehicles, units, and reconnaissance groups. Lieutenant General Serhiy Naiev, the Commander of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, emphasizes, “What unites them all is that they are true Ukrainian women who could not stay at home when their Motherland cried out for help to the world. We have noticed and felt how our women have toughened and transformed during a year and a half of large-scale invasion, surpassing, in my opinion, the legendary Amazons.”