Ukrainian defenders: achievements and problems

According to ancient traditions, war and military service are considered a man’s business, but with the course of history, more and more “male” positions are occupied by women. In the modern world, there are only 6 countries where women are subject to military conscription – Israel, Sweden, Norway, North Korea, Eritrea and China. For example, in Sweden, the number of women in military service is approximately 17% of the total number of the army, in Norway – 30%, and in Israel – 35%. In addition, the other day in Denmark it was announced that from January 2027 they will introduce conscription for women, as well as increase the number of conscripts. In the rest of the countries, representatives of the beautiful article can voluntarily join the army. Interestingly, in the United States of America there is no mandatory service for women, but their number reaches 17% of the entire contingent.
Before the start of the full-scale war, there were about 24,000 women in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and as of 2024, this figure has increased to 62,000. Currently, women in the Armed Forces occupy a wide variety of positions, from clerks and cooks to machine gunners and sappers. The experience of conducting military operations has shown that a woman in advanced positions is not inferior to a man, and can perform the most dangerous tasks side by side with her comrades. By the way, in the history of Ukraine there is an interesting fact related to women in military service. Yes, Olena Stepankiv was the first female officer in history, served in the Legion of Ukrainian Sich Riflemen, was a member of the November Order and the First World War.
Military education
Training and training of qualified officers for the Armed Forces was and remains one of the key aspects of the army’s development. In military universities, it is predicted that there will be more boys than girls, and those who did decide to link their lives with military service faced a number of restrictions. For example, girls could study exclusively in “non-combat” specialties – psychologists, officers for moral and psychological support, doctors, etc. The only exception is artillery reconnaissance, where girls could join if they wished. Everything changed during the admission campaign of 2019 – girls got the opportunity to enter all majors, without exception. So, in 2023, the first female lieutenants appeared in the Armed Forces, who held the positions of commanders of mechanized, artillery and sapper platoons.
What about the form?
Military service involves the wearing of a certain form of clothing, footwear and equipment, which is made to the same standards for women and men. In fact, women wore men’s clothes and equipment, which were made without taking into account the peculiarities of the structure of the female body. On the market, there were always samples of uniforms made especially for military servicewomen, but they were not always of high quality, and they had to be bought at their own expense.
They began to solve this problem in 2022 – according to the Ministry of Defense, the design department began designing the kit taking into account women’s needs. On August 5, 2023, the reference sample of the summer field suit was approved, and it began to be supplied to the troops soon after.
Also, in the winter of 2023, the first Ukrainian women’s body armor was certified, which structurally differs from men’s only in the front plate, taking into account the anatomical features of women. It has an outwardly curved shape in the chest area and narrowed shoulders, the weight of the body armor with plates and summaries reaches 10.5 kg. The manufacturer and supplier of these bulletproof vests is the company “Ukrainian Armor”, which has proven itself positively during the war.
Discrimination
The stereotypical thinking of many people in society and in the Armed Forces in particular often hindered women during their military service. Thus, as of 2014, only 40% of respondents believed that women in the Armed Forces were not subject to gender discrimination, and already in 2019, this figure had increased to 80%. As of now, this indicator is constantly growing. Another important indicator is also growing – the number of female military personnel in managerial positions, so in 2024, 7,500 female officers and 2,270 non-commissioned officers will serve in the Armed Forces, which is approximately 11% of the total number of these positions. Many servicemen say that there is no discrimination based on the article in the army, but they are still assigned the easiest and safest work, as they are protected.
What is known for certain is that there is no financial discrimination in the Armed Forces, as the amount of financial support depends on the military rank, position and service, and therefore cannot be increased or decreased. However, unsettled issues remain, for example, ensuring personal hygiene for women.
Oksana Rubanyak, writer, mechanized platoon commander, spoke about discrimination in the Armed Forces as follows:
“Probably the guys felt more discomfort than I did, but they got used to it after a few days”, “They were surprised that I was joining the machine gun platoon, but they still made this decision”, “A man is perceived as a defender right away, but a woman still has to prove it”. “I asked if they were okay with being commanded by a woman – in fact, they don’t see a woman, but a commander.”
Adriana, an officer of the MPZ of the Airborne Assault Brigade, said:
“Since childhood, I dreamed of being a soldier, and after the eleventh grade I joined. There were approximately equal numbers of boys and girls on the course. In principle, everyone was treated the same, but we were more protected – we were not involved in hard physical work, in this spirit. In general, the training went well, I did not feel any discomfort, there were no boys and girls for the officers, there were only cadets. Our release coincided with the beginning of a full-scale invasion, there was a lot of work, and in principle it remained so. Management, like subordinates, does not care whether you are a man or a woman, the main thing in our business is professional qualities. However, if there is discrimination, then it is only positive, for example – boys are called to dangerous tasks themselves, when they know that you can go, but if a girl wants to go – they refuse, but let her go. My friends, with whom I studied, are in the same situation.”
What is not customary to say
Women in the army cause a sense of pride and immense respect, but their problems should not be ignored. In a nation that is losing population due to war, more than 40,000 women of childbearing age are wasting their health in military positions. Our brave and motivated military aspires to become mothers in the future, but they are likely to face certain challenges. War negatively affects the reproductive system of both sexes, but it is women who suffer from reproductive problems the most.
That is why the government should implement effective measures so that women defenders can take care of their own health in accordance with the needs of their gender.
There are also rare cases of contemptuous treatment of women by men. So, the NYT described a case where a brigade commander openly humiliated a woman commander of an artillery battery.
“You will crawl to me on your knees, begging me to let you go, when you realize that the work is too difficult, and I will not let you leave your position.” – said the defender, who wished to remain anonymous. Sexism and harassment.
A separate problem is sexual harassment in the army, for such a case the Ministry of Defense has created a special hotline.
Therefore, the opportunities for women in the army are constantly increasing, as well as the quality and comfort of their service. Of course, despite all the positive trends, there are many problematic points, but progress is taking place, and their resolution is a matter of time.