Women in the Ukrainian military

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First-year students of the Kharkiv National Air Force University on the day of taking their military oath of loyalty to the Ukrainian people (2018) Kursanti I kursu Kharkivs'kogo natsional'nogo universitetu Povitrianikh Sil imeni Ivana Kozheduba sklali Viis'kovu prisiagu (44444996001).jpg
First-year students of the Kharkiv National Air Force University on the day of taking their military oath of loyalty to the Ukrainian people (2018)
Yuliia Paievska, paramedic, founder of the "Taira's Angels" evacuation medical unit. Spending March-June 2022 in Russian captivity, she became a symbol of bravery and sacrifice. Yuliia Paievska December 2022.jpg
Yuliia Paievska, paramedic, founder of the "Taira's Angels" evacuation medical unit. Spending March–June 2022 in Russian captivity, she became a symbol of bravery and sacrifice.

Women in the Ukrainian military [a] have played active roles in the Revolution of Dignity, the war in Donbas, and the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. [2]

Contents

Since 2014, women have also been struggling against discrimination and for gender equality within the Armed Forces of Ukraine (ZSU), with projects such as Invisible Battalion. [2]

Initially restricted to traditional female roles such as nurses and rear echelon radio operators, gradually, after the February 2022 invasion, the Ukraine government introduced rules that allowed women to drive trucks in combat zones, to serve in the infantry as drone operators, machine gunners, or snipers, to become tank commanders and in Ukraine’s special forces. Women have been deployed on combat operations in southeastern Ukraine for several months. [3] [4]

Number of women in the Ukrainian military

Personnel statistics

2018 military parade on the Independence Day of Ukraine Voennyi parad v chest' Dnia Nezavisimosti Ukrainy Military parade in honor of the Independence Day of Ukraine (44194240712).jpg
2018 military parade on the Independence Day of Ukraine

Since 2013, the number of women in the Armed Forces has been growing steadily: as of May 2021, there were twice as many women in the military as in 2013. The number of female officers has almost tripled (5,000), and the number of female cadets has almost quadrupled. [5] Between 2014 and March 2023, the number of female military personnel in the ZSU increased 2.5-fold (from 16,557 to 42,898), while the number of female officers rose to 7,416, almost a sevenfold increase compared to 2014. [6] In the same period, the number of women employed as civilian personnel decreased from 33,369 to 17,640; the net total number of women employed in both military and civilian professions in the ZSU increased by 10,612. [6]

Since the beginning of the Russian large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, more than 11,000 women have been drafted into the Armed Forces of Ukraine by their own free choice. This was announced by the commander of the ZSU Joint Operational Headquarters Serhii Naiev: "From the first day of the war, women, along with men, have been cueuing up at territorial recruitment centres to join the defence of our homeland. They chose the most dangerous specialities, joining the ranks of grenade launchers, machine gunners, riflemen and snipers, sometimes having ... a desire to become tank gunners, to be part of the gun and mortar crew." [7]

As of 22 June 2023, Ukrainian women soldiers served in the following military branches:

In commanding positions in the military

Tetiana Ostashchenko, the first female ZSU branch commander, with the rank of Brigadier general Tetiana Ostashchenko.jpg
Tetiana Ostashchenko, the first female ZSU branch commander, with the rank of Brigadier general

In 2004, the Interior Ministry spokeswoman Tetyana Podashevska  [ uk ] was promoted to the (civilian) rank of major general of the Militsiya (precursor to the current National Police of Ukraine)." [8] On 12 October 2018, Liudmyla Shuhalei became the first woman to receive the (military) rank of major general of the Military Medical Department of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) (Ukrainian : Військово медичне управління Служби безпеки України, romanized: Vijs'kovo medychne upravlinnja Sluzhby bezpeky Ukrajiny). [8] The first female branch commander of the Medical Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (Ukrainian : Медичні сили Збройних Сил України), Tetiana Ostashchenko, was appointed on 30 July 2021, becoming the first female commander of a separate branch in the history of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (ZSU), and the first female Brigadier General. [9]

As of 26 February 2021, 925 servicewomen served in commanding positions. [5] As of December 2021, more than 800 women commanded units and platoons. [10] As of March 2023, the share of women in leadership positions was 11%. According to a Ministry of Defence representative, the positive dynamics indicated that the Armed Forces were making significant progress thanks to the Ministry's systematic work on gender issues. [11]

Participants in hostilities

Women are actively involved in hostilities. As of March 2021, more than 10% of the total number of personnel involved in the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) forces and facilities in Donetsk Oblast and Luhansk Oblast were women, said Viktoria Arnautova, the Adviser to the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Gender Issues. [12]

More than 13,000 women received the status of "participant in hostilities" (Ukrainian : Учасник бойових дій, romanized: Uchasnyk bojovyx dij; feminine Ukrainian : Учасниця, romanized: Uchasnytsja), the official legal term for "veteran" in Ukraine, for participation in the Anti-Terrorist Operation in Eastern Ukraine (14 April 2014 – 30 April 2018) and the Joint Forces Operation (30 April 2018 – 24 February 2022) as of March 2021, [12] and more than 16,700 as of December 2021. [10]

History

War in Donbas

Female soldier operating a ZPU-1 anti-aircraft gun in the Aidar Battalion, Luhansk Oblast, August 2014 Aidar Battalion, Lugansk region 51.jpg
Female soldier operating a ZPU-1 anti-aircraft gun in the Aidar Battalion, Luhansk Oblast, August 2014

The war has seen a significant increase in the number of women serving in the Ukrainian military, with several positions that had been reserved for men only being opened up to women. [13] [14] [15] By 2016, 8.5 percent of the Ukrainian military were women and by March 2021, the percentage of women in the armed forces had risen to 22.8 percent, 15.5% of them described by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence as "service-personnel". [16] [17] [18] [19]

The Ukrainian Center for Drone Intelligence, which builds drones for the Ukrainian army and provides training courses for drone warfare, was founded by Maria Berlinska, who had volunteered to serve on the front after graduating from university. [20] [21]

A number of women soldiers have achieved high levels of public prominence during the war. Nadiya Savchenko, a fighter pilot who volunteered for the Aidar Battalion after her regular battalion was not deployed to the front, was named a Hero of Ukraine and elected to the Ukrainian Parliament after being captured by the Luhansk People's Republic. [22] [23] [24]

Women have also featured in military propaganda in the war. [25] In May 2014, Donetsk People's Republic Defence Minister Igor Girkin posted an online video calling for recruits, stating that "if men are not capable of this, we will have to call on women." [26] In March 2015, on International Women's Day, the DNR held a propaganda beauty pageant featuring all female soldiers. [27]

In their 2019 book Insurgent Women: Female Combatants in Civil Wars authors Darden, Henshaw and Szekely, while confirming the combat role of women in several Ukrainian and pro-Russian armed forces and militias as medics, drivers, sentries or on patrol, say that their participation in the first line of action, particularly as snipers, has been usually overstated by the media, or at least hard to verify. They distinguish female combatants by their motivation to become involved in the war. On the Ukrainian side, women were strongly moved by Ukrainian nationalism, while their pro-Russian counterpart fought for more personal reasons, like defending their families or homes. According to these authors, Ukrainian female soldiers actively chose "to go to the front. Those on the separatist side feel that the front came to them". [28]

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine

Zelenskyy on working trip to Mykolaiv and Odesa oblasts in June 2022 Robocha poyizdka Prezidenta Ukrayini na Mikolayivshchinu ta Odeshchinu 56.jpg
Zelenskyy on working trip to Mykolaiv and Odesa oblasts in June 2022

A significant number of women have volunteered to fight for the Ukrainian forces in response to the invasion. [29] [30] [31] [32] Mia Bloom and Sophia Moskalenko of Georgia State University have stated that "Ukrainian women have historically enjoyed independence not common in other parts of the globe" and that "Ukraine offers a unique insight into the roles that women can play in defending the nation and as leaders in their own right." [33] In September 2022, Aljazeera stated: "There are about 50,000 women serving in the Ukrainian armed forces in combat and non-combat roles, of which about 10,000 are currently either on the front lines of the war or in jobs that could send them to the front lines, according to Ukrainian military officials. There were about 32,000 women in the military prior to the invasion." [34]

In October 2022, the first all-female prisoner of war exchange occurred between Russia and Ukraine, with 108 Ukrainian women being returned, including 37 who had fought in the Battle of Azovstal. [35]

Conscription

Under the looming threat from Russia, new legislation was enacted on 21 December 2021 requiring women to register for military service, if they are deemed medically fit for military service, are between the ages of 18 and 60, and work in specific professions. In the event of a major war, this expanded reserve of women would be mobilized as part of the national reserve to serve in a broad range of military specialties. According to earlier legislation, women in certain professions were already required to register for military conscription. However, the December 2021 revision of the law regulating Ukraine's military reserves dramatically expanded the number of professions that qualify for mandatory registration with the armed forces. Now women who are librarians, journalists, musicians, veterinarians, and psychologists, among many other professions, are required to register for military service. MP Oleksandra Ustinova stated: "...in [the] current situation, the decision to educate as many people as possible to hold arms and to be ready to serve seems a good one." [36]

Following the 24 February 2022 invasion, the Ukrainian government enforced a mobilisation order on men aged between 18 and 60 to be available for conscription as combatants. [37] In a representative national poll on 3–4 March 2022, 59% of Ukrainian women said they were 'ready to personally participate in the armed resistance to end the Russian occupation of Ukraine.' [38] Though Ukraine's Ministry of Defence significantly expanded the pool of Ukrainian women who are required to register for military conscription into various non-combat roles, due to the initial influx of volunteers many have not been called up for conscription, and many female volunteers who were not required to register have been put on a waiting list. One woman who spoke to reporters said she had been told; "Ok, you will be in line. But now we have too many people". Many men and women who are not in the service of the military volunteer their time and work in supporting their communities in other ways. [39] By mid-March 2022, additional Ukrainian women, after either leaving Ukraine as a refugee or living abroad, had also returned to the country to enlist in the armed forces, or provide support services, such as helping others evacuate. [40] According to an April 2022 survey, 69% of women intended to help by providing non-military support (delivering food, information, or ammunition) to the Ukrainian army, 65% of women were thinking of caring for injured civilians and soldiers, and 27% of women had plans to join the Ukrainian forces in various combat roles. [41] Conscription of women in general is not yet in place, however women with medical degrees are required to register for conscription [42]

Notable individuals

Inna Derusova with her Defender of the Motherland Medal in January 2022. She was killed in the opening days of the February 2022 invasion, becoming the first woman to be posthumously named a Hero of Ukraine. Inna Derusova with Defender of the Motherland Medal.jpg
Inna Derusova with her Defender of the Motherland Medal in January 2022. She was killed in the opening days of the February 2022 invasion, becoming the first woman to be posthumously named a Hero of Ukraine.

In the opening days of the invasion, field medic Inna Derusova was said to have saved the lives of more than 10 soldiers during the Battle of Okhtyrka, before she was killed in a Russian artillery attack. On 12 March 2022, Derusova became the first woman to be posthumously awarded the highest national military title of Hero of Ukraine. [43] During the invasion, Liubov Plaksiuk  [ uk ] became the first woman to command an artillery division in the Ukrainian army. [44] Tetyana Chubar  [ uk ], an artillery platoon commander, gained prominence on the internet after a video of her fighting during the Siege of Chernihiv went viral. [45] Sarah Ashton-Cirillo is an American who initially worked as a journalist during the invasion before resigning to enlist as a combat medic in the Ukrainian military, later serving as a spokeswoman for the Territorial Defence Forces. [46]

Position

Discrimination

Women in the Ukrainian military still face significant levels of discrimination and stigma, both formally, until 2019 still being barred from a number of positions, and with provisions like proper uniforms and maternity leave still lacking, and from their fellow soldiers. [47] One female soldier recounted some of the discrimination she faced to Hromadske.TV in 2019: "I liberated 11 cities, I was involved in prisoner releases, but, nonetheless, most people would say that I am a “Carpathian, who fought in the first months of her pregnancy,” without taking my military experience into account." [48] According to the Atlantic Council in 2020:

Women served in both the Ukrainian military and volunteer battalions. In the process, they experienced sexual harassment on the frontlines and faced sexual discrimination upon their return home. Many women soldiers were criticized for leaving their children and families to serve, stereotyped as sexually promiscuous, or even investigated by social services and had their children taken away. The discrimination is often so bad that women veterans will not wear uniforms. Women are encouraged to ignore their trauma. As one female volunteer put it, “Men go to the pubs with other men, but women must get back to their jobs and take care of their children.” [49]

In 2019, the Invisible Battalion 2.0 report found that sexual harassment and sexual violence against female soldiers was still common, and rarely reported or investigated. [50] As of May 2021, a working group was set up at the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with the support of NGOs to form an internal mechanism for responding to sexual harassment. The relevant department of the Ministry of Defence developed a draft Law of Ukraine "On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine on Regulation of Response, Prevention and Counteraction to Sex Discrimination and Sexual Harassment among Military Personnel". In July 2021, the relevant committee of the Verkhovna Rada recommended that Parliament adopt this bill aimed at combating sexual harassment in the army. [51] In August 2023, a whistleblower told The Guardian that a commander in a combat unit had ordered female subordinates to have sex with him or face their husbands being sent to the front. [52] Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar responded by vowing to help pursue army commanders credibly accused of sexual harassment through the courts. [52]

In July 2021, the Ukrainian military faced criticism after it announced that women soldiers would be marching in high heels in the parade marking 30 years of independence. [53] The Ukrainian Ministry of Defence stated that the military's 2017 dress code included high heels. [54]

Invisible Battalion

Maria Berlinska, aerial scout and co-founder of military women's rights project Invisible Battalion, interviewed by Voice of America in 2018 Maria Berlinska Invisible Battalion interview VOA.jpg
Maria Berlinska, aerial scout and co-founder of military women's rights project Invisible Battalion, interviewed by Voice of America in 2018

Invisible Battalion (Ukrainian : Невидимий Батальйон, romanized: Nevydymyy Batal'yon) is a Ukrainian advocacy campaign, a sociological research group, and a civil rights project for gender equality in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. As a result of the campaign, the pressure of society and different international organizations, the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine expanded the number of military jobs available to women to 63 with Directive #292, "On expanding military jobs for soldier, sergeant, and officer staff". [55] [56]

Access to military positions

On 6 September 2018, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine eventually approved in the second reading, and in general with technical and legal amendments, the draft "Law of Ukraine "On Amendments to Some Laws of Ukraine on Ensuring Equal Rights and Opportunities for Women and Men during Military Service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and Other Military Formations". [57] This allowed women to acquire combat specialities at the legislative level. Since then, women have served in positions of their own choice. [58] Currently, all restrictions on military specialities that women can have in the Armed Forces have been abolished. [59]

Provision of military uniforms and hygiene products

The provision of servicewomen in the Armed Forces of Ukraine with fitting women's military uniforms, women's underwear and hygiene products is generally not done by the government, but by several NGOs, including ArmWomenNow (Озброїмо жінок зараз), Землячки (Zemliachky, "Fellow Countrywomen"), and Швейна рота ("The Sewing Company"). [60] Each of them emerged shortly after the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022 as social and volunteer initiatives aimed at providing female soldiers in the Ukrainian Armed Forces with military uniforms, underwear, balaclavas and shoes/boots fitting for women, and according to NATO standards (STANAG). [60]

Although women at the front were initially provided with light plates for body armour, light helmets, comfortable shoes, gloves, specific medical drugs, backpacks, first-aid kits, underwear and a "female humanitarian" package consisting of 30 hygiene products, hundreds of female soldiers soon asked for a proper women's uniform. [60] It was found out that the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine had approved only ceremony women's uniforms, while field uniforms were provided only for men. [60] Due to the inconsistency of standard army patterns with the peculiarities of women's bodily constitution, servicewomen were forced to alter men's uniforms to their sizes at their own expense. [60] Although several allied countries were able to provide Ukraine with apt women's uniforms (the British women's uniform 5.1 proved to be the best, and was the basis of many new Ukrainian experimental designs), others were not so suited for the circumstances, and still by far not in sufficient quantities. [60] The three organisations gathered a lot of clothing and military specialists, conducted many field tests and improved their designs based on the soldiers' feedback and requests, while upscaling their production capacity in cooperation with the regular fashion industry to meet the growing demand. [60]

Balaclavas designed for men were too large for women, and assumed the wearer to have short hair, while most women had long hair; therefore, smaller women's balaclaves were developed by The Sewing Company, with an opening for a ponytail or a braid. [60] Similarly, ArmWomenNow began producing more army boots, as women generally have smaller feet than men, but most Ukrainian manufacturers do not make them at small sizes such as 35/36. [60] By August 2023, proper women's uniforms had been tested by the NGOs and soldiers, and approved by the Ministry of Defence, which was negotiating with manufacturing companies on producing the designs at scale, and supplying them to the women fighting on the front. [52]

Public perception

Lt. Yulia Mykytenko has fought in the Russo-Ukrainian War since 2016, receiving the Order for Courage (3rd class) in October 2022. Iuliia Mikitenko, ukrayins'ka viis'kovosluzhbovitsia.jpg
Lt. Yulia Mykytenko has fought in the Russo-Ukrainian War since 2016, receiving the Order for Courage (3rd class) in October 2022.

Studies have shown that the idea of equality between women and men in the army was supported by 53% of Ukrainians in 2018; by March 2023, this number had increased to 80% of Ukrainians. [11] Nevertheless, deputy director Svitlana Chunikhina of the Institute of Social and Political Psychology of the National Academy of Educational Sciences of Ukraine noted that gender stereotypes in society were more difficult to correct than racial and ethnic prejudices. [11]

According to a March 2023 study, 85% of Ukrainian citizens had a positive attitude towards women serving in the Armed Forces of Ukraine (ZSU). [62] 81% of respondents believed that a woman can command a combat unit, just like a man. At the same time, 48% of respondents considered inequalities between women and men in the Armed Forces to be 'rare', and 51% believed that women in the Ukrainian army 'do not experience' discrimination. [58]

During the All-Ukrainian Forum "Women's Leadership in Time of War" in July 2023, Deputy Minister of Defence of Ukraine Hanna Maliar stated: "I am proud of Ukrainian women in the Armed Forces. Ukrainian women are super strong, and we demonstrate this to the world. They do men's hard work with excessive loads. We have lifted all restrictions on the professions that women can master in the Armed Forces. Now women are tankers, artillerists, snipers, et cetera. And this is a powerful Ukrainian force." [59]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ The Ukrainian military is divided into several separate organisations. The largest by far is the Armed Forces of Ukraine (ZSU), answering to the Ministry of Defence. Separately, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) is a military institution directly subordinate to the President of Ukraine. Other institutions include the National Police of Ukraine (NPU), which is a civilian service answering to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, but the police ranking hierarchy is similar to the military ranks of Ukraine.

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  12. 1 2 "У нашому війську служить понад 31 тисяча жінок" [More than 31,000 women serve in our army]. armyinform.com.ua (in Ukrainian). 4 March 2021. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  13. ↑ "Ex-Military Cartographer On Women On Donbas Frontline, LGBT Activism, and Nationalism". en.hromadske.ua. 31 January 2020.
  14. ↑ "Women Warriors of the Ukraine". the Story INSTITUTE.
  15. ↑ Wendle, John. "Ukraine women's battalion". www.aljazeera.com.
  16. ↑ "Women are changing the face of armed forces in Ukraine". UN Women | Europe and Central Asia. November 2016. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
  17. ↑ "Ukraine's military starts walking back plan for women to parade in pumps after backlash". Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved 17 July 2021.
  18. ↑ "White Book 2019–2020: The Armed Forces of Ukraine and the State Special Transport Service" (PDF). Ministry of Defence of Ukraine. 2021. Retrieved 24 February 2024. The share of women in the Armed Forces is 15.5% as of January 1, 2021 (12.2% in 2018). The trend towards a steady increase in the share of women service-personnel demonstrates serious social changes in the Armed Forces.
  19. ↑ Ewe, Koh (4 March 2022). "'We Are Not Afraid of Death': The Ukrainian Women Taking Up Arms Against Russia". Vice News.
  20. ↑ "Woman in war. The story of Maria Berlinska, a volunteer in the Ukrainian Army". en.hromadske.ua. 12 January 2017.
  21. ↑ "Meet Maria Berlinska: founder of the Ukrainian Centre for Drone Intelligence, 21-06-2015". 19 June 2015.
  22. ↑ "The Many Faces Of Nadia Savchenko". Radio Free Europe. July 2016.
  23. ↑ Oliphant, Roland (11 January 2015). "Nadia Savchenko: The most controversial prisoner of the war in Ukraine". The Telegraph. Retrieved 11 January 2015.
  24. ↑ "Ukraine arrests war hero over 'coup plot'". BBC News. 22 March 2018. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
  25. ↑ Regamey, Amandine (25 February 2016). "Falsehood in the War in Ukraine: the Legend of Women Snipers". The Journal of Power Institutions in Post-Soviet Societies (17). doi: 10.4000/pipss.4222 – via Centre pour l'Édition Électronique Ouverte.
  26. ↑ Darden, Jessica Trisko (19 May 2016). "For a Stronger Military, Draft Women Too". HuffPost.
  27. ↑ Taylor, Alan. "Beauty in the Ceasefire: A Pageant in Donetsk - The Atlantic". www.theatlantic.com.
  28. ↑ Darden, Jessica Trisko; Henshaw, Alexis; Szekely, Ora (2019). Insurgent Women: Female Combatants in Civil Wars. Georgetown University Press. pp. 18–21. ISBN   978-1-62616-666-0.
  29. ↑ "Women in Ukraine Play a Critical Role in the Fight Against Russia". Time. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  30. ↑ "Ukrainian women stand strong against Russian invaders". Washington Post. 18 March 2022. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  31. ↑ These are the women choosing to stay and fight Russian forces - CNN Video, 9 March 2022, retrieved 29 March 2022
  32. ↑ O'Reilly, Jonathon (3 February 2022). "Female volunteers 'move like angels' in Ukrainian army as Russia tensions escalate". inews.co.uk. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  33. ↑ Bloom, Mia; Moskalenko, Sophia (21 March 2022). "Ukraine's women fighters reflect a cultural tradition of feminist independence". The Conversation. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  34. ↑ Elizondo, Gabriel (17 September 2022). "Ukrainian women joining the military amid Russia's invasion". aljazeera.com. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  35. ↑ "Ukraine Announces Release of 108 Women in First All-Female Prisoner Exchange with Russia". Radiofreeeurope/Radioliberty.
  36. ↑ "Ukraine Requires Women to Register for Military Conscription as Russia Threat Looms". Military.com. 27 December 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  37. ↑ "Ukraine urged to take 'humane' approach as men try to flee war". The Guardian. 9 March 2022. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  38. ↑ Martsenyuk 2022, p. 5.
  39. ↑ "Ukrainian women are volunteering to fight — and history shows they always have". NPR. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  40. ↑ Niedzielski, Rafal; Keaten, Jamey (15 March 2022). "'I will go back to help': Women head home to aid war effort". ABC News. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  41. ↑ Martsenyuk 2022, p. 4.
  42. ↑ "Why Ukraine wants female conscripts for war". New York Times . 6 October 2023.
  43. 1 2 Peter Beaumont (13 March 2022). "Ukraine mourns its fallen as Zelenskiy says 1,300 soldiers killed". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 September 2022. Inna
  44. ↑ "Former history teacher, lieutenant Liubov Plaksiuk, became the first woman to lead an artillery unit of the Armed Forces of Ukraine". 29 May 2022.
  45. ↑ "Artillery unit commander Tetyana Chubar put her confectionary dreams on hold to fight off invaders".
  46. ↑ "'Embrace the hate': Ukraine military's trans spokesperson". France24. 14 September 2023. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
  47. ↑ "A Two-Front Battle: How Ukrainian Military Women Are Fighting For Equality". ukraineworld.org. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
  48. ↑ "What It's Like to Be a Female in the Ukrainian Army". en.hromadske.ua. 17 March 2019.
  49. ↑ "The trip from Donbas: Ukraine's pressing need to defend its veterans". 21 September 2020.
  50. ↑ "Invisible in an invisible war". 21 October 2019.
  51. ↑ Oleh Besarab (5 July 2021). "У Раді підтримали закон проти сексуальних домагань в армії" [The Rada supported the law against sexual harassment in the army]. ua.news (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  52. 1 2 3 Daniel Boffey (10 August 2023). "Ukraine minister vows to act over claims of sexual harassment in army". the Guardian. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  53. ↑ "'Mockery': Backlash after Ukraine women troops march in heels". www.aljazeera.com.
  54. ↑ Peltier, Elian; Varenikova, Maria (3 July 2021). "'Why?' Ukrainian Army Faces Criticism for Making Women March in Heels". The New York Times.
  55. ↑ "f428526n45 zip file".
  56. ↑ "Women are changing the face of armed forces in Ukraine". November 2016.
  57. ↑ "Закон України "Про внесення змін до деяких законів України щодо забезпечення рівних прав і можливостей жінок і чоловіків під час проходження військової служби у Збройних Силах України та інших військових формуваннях"" [Law of Ukraine "On Amendments to Some Laws of Ukraine on Ensuring Equal Rights and Opportunities for Women and Men during Military Service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and Other Military Formations]. zakon.rada.gov.ua. Archived from the original on 20 March 2020. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  58. 1 2 "85% громадян України позитивно ставляться до жінок, які служать у ЗСУ" [85% of Ukrainian citizens have a positive attitude towards women serving in the ZSU]. armyinform.com.ua (in Ukrainian). 5 June 2023. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  59. 1 2 "Близько 42 тисяч жінок служать у ЗСУ, 5000 із них перебувають на передових позиціях — Ганна Маляр" [About 42,000 women serve in the ZSU, 5,000 of them are in advanced positions — Hanna Maliar]. armyinform.com.ua (in Ukrainian). 4 July 2023. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  60. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Tatyana Marinova (31 October 2022). "Подбати про захисниць: як жінок забезпечують військовою формою" [Take care of defenders: how women are provided with military uniforms]. Povaha (in Ukrainian). Archived from the original on 23 February 2024. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  61. ↑ "Указ Президента України №698/2022 «Про відзначення державними нагородами України»" [Decree of the President of Ukraine No. 698/2022 "On awarding with State Awards of Ukraine"] (in Ukrainian). President of Ukraine. 14 October 2022. Archived from the original on 26 October 2022. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  62. ↑ "Питання дискримінації різних соціальних груп у ЗСУ" [Issues of discrimination against different social groups in the ZSU](PDF). veteranfund.com.ua (in Ukrainian). 27–29 March 2023. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
  63. ↑ Richards, Will (15 May 2022). "Ukraine's Kalush Orchestra share powerful video for Eurovision-winning song 'Stefania'". NME. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  64. ↑ Nicole Winfield and Paolo Santalucia (15 May 2022). "Eurovision win in hand, Ukraine band releases new war video". AP NEWS. Retrieved 28 September 2022.

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