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Mariia Volia was born and raised in Mariupol, a city in the south of Ukraine that was destroyed and occupied by the russians in spring 2022. She joined the ranks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in 2015. She wanted to defend the country after the first russian attacks on Mariupol. Mariia Volia used to be a mortar commander at the front, and now she is a communications unit commander.

Before the occupation of her hometown, she had been hiding her orientation. However, after she was wounded in Mariupol, and later escaped from the russian encirclement, Mariia opened up to her brothers in arms. Currently, the commander of the communications unit hopes that civil partnerships will be legalized in Ukraine, because in the future she wants to get married with her partner.

Currently, Mariia Volia is along the Donetsk axis. The military woman is ready to communicate with journalists, both online and offline.

For reference: the defense of Mariupol lasted 86 days. On May 20, 2022, Mariupol was occupied by the russians.

• military
• occupation
• women
• Mariupol
• LGBT

22-year-old Pavlo Lehoida was going through mandatory military service when the full-scale invasion started. But after russia attacked Ukraine on February 24, 2022, he joined the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and served in many directions, in particular, in the South and East of the country.

Pavlo’s brothers in arms found out about his orientation by accident when they saw his conversation on the phone. The soldier says that at first the attitude towards him was quite negative, and he had to listen to a lot of insults. However, he says, now his brothers in arms don’t care about the fact that he is gay.

Pavlo has many plans for the future, which he dreams to fulfill after the victory. The serviceman hopes that a law on civil partnerships will be adopted in Ukraine. After all, a loved one is waiting for him at home. In addition, Pavlo wants to adopt a child.

• military
• LGBT

Until the full-blown war, Petro worked as a pastry chef in Odesa, making chocolate and making a variety of desserts. Before the all-out invasion, the man did not even think about serving in the army. But on February 24, 2022, Petro was one of the first to arrive at the military registration and enlistment office. He did not manage to join the Defense Forces, so immediately, but after a few tries he did enter the ranks. He took up combat medic specialist duties.

According to Petro, most of his colleagues adequately responded to his sexual orientation. The soldier dreams of statewide legal recognition so Ukraine will eventually adopt a law on civil union so he can start a family without being afraid of public condemnation.

For reference: Petro is currently in hospital in Odesa. He is ready to talk to journalists, both online and offline, by prior arrangement.

• military
• LGBT

Mariia Volia was born and raised in Mariupol, a city in the south of Ukraine that was destroyed and occupied by the russians last spring. The girl joined the ranks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in 2015. She wanted to defend the country after the first russian attacks on Mariupol. Currently, Mariia Volia is a mortar commander at the front.

Before the occupation of her hometown, the girl had been hiding her orientation. However, after she was wounded in Mariupol, and later escaped from the russian encirclement, Mariia opened up to her brothers in arms. Currently, the commander of the mortar unit hopes that civil partnerships will be legalized in Ukraine, because in the future she wants to get married with her partner.

• military
• women
• LGBT

Shortly before the start of the full-scale invasion, Serhi Kashtakov planned to become a front-end developer and work in the IT industry. However, on February 24 last year, his lover woke him up and told him that war had broken out. Serhii saw no other option but to take up arms, as he had already fought with Russia back in 2014. Serhii returned to the army and became a combat medic. His partner stayed home with the soldier’s mother to take care of her. Serhii made a camouflage last year. The soldier says his fellow soldiers accepted him and even became more tolerant of LGBT+ people.

Additionally: Serhii Kashtakov is on the front line. The soldier is ready to talk to journalists, both online and offline, by prior arrangement.

• military
• LGBT

Sarah Ashton-Cirillo is 46 years old. She is an American journalist and transgender woman. Sarah came to Ukraine at the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion. In March 2022, she covered the topic of Ukrainian refugees in Poland, and later joined the territorial defense forces of Ukraine and became a combat medic. At the same time, Sarah continued to write reports for foreign media about enemy shelling. In 2023, the woman was injured, and soon after she received an invitation to join the public relations team of the Territorial Defense Forces. Sarah Ashton-Cirillo’s new position has sparked a lot of discussion. However, this did not affect Sarah’s motivation to serve in the Armed Forces.

• doctors
• military
• women
• LGBT

Daniel Johnson, a member of the Ukrainian LGBT community, served in eastern Ukraine from 2015 to 2018 and was a tank commander. He was demobilized and entitled to the status of a combatant. When the full-scale invasion began, he returned to the army. On February 25, Daniel participated in the battles for Chernihiv until he was wounded in April. For his service, the soldier received an award for “defense of the city of Chernihiv”. After rehabilitation, Daniel went to the East to continue his service. In February 2023, he completed a psychology course and was promoted to the psychology officer position. Daniel says he faced discrimination because of his orientation. He was even forced to transfer to another unit because for this particular reason.

• military
• LGBT

Antonina is a Crimean and a non-binary person in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. She moved from Simferopol back in 2014 after the occupation of the peninsula by Russia. Antonina’s occupation is a filmmaker. She has worked as an actress and participated in performances. On February 25, 2022, Antonina went to the army recruiting office and enlisted in the Territorial Defense Forces of Kyiv. During the full-scale war with Russia, Antonina took part in the battles for Kherson and Kharkiv regions and fought in the Bakhmut sector. Antonina is currently a mortar gunner in the 206th Territorial Defense Battalion. Despite making a titanic effort every day, she manages to be vegan and even play the ukulele occasionally.

• military
• LGBT

Mariia Smirnova, 24, joined the military in the summer of 2022 and choose the Da Vinci Wolves battalion to serve. Without hiding her sexual orientation, a girl she did not experience any harassment or prejudice from her fellow soldiers though. Serving as a clerk at the Da Vinci Wolves battalion, Mariia then decided that she wanted to be useful directly on the front line, so she transferred to the airborne assault troops. Now she is undergoing training in Zhytomyr region.

• military
• women
• LGBT

Dmytro Havryliuk (Moralis), Head at the Executive Committee of the NGO “Ukrainian LGBT+ Military lost his beloved in the war last December. Dmytro did not manage to see him before his death. But even if he was able to get to the intensive care unit on time, the state could have prevented Dmytro from seeing his beloved. After all, only relatives are allowed to the intensive care unit, and Dmytro and his partner’s relationship wasn’t officially registered.

Currently, Dmytro is pushing for the adoption of a law under which members of the LGBT community will be able to legitimize their relationships before the state. Dmytro knows, like no one else, that this issue is urgent these days, especially for LGBT military personnel.

For reference: According to current laws, same-sex couples cannot officially register their relationship in Ukraine. But the situation may change soon: in March, a draft law on registered partnerships was brought in the Verkhovna Rada, and the Ministry of Justice is developing another one.

• LGBT