Themes by tag: women

On April 10, during the exchange of prisoners, Valeriia Subotina, call sign “Nava,” Spokeswoman for the “Azov” regiment, returned to Ukraine. The woman was captured on May 16, 2022, during the withdrawal of the Ukrainian military from Azovstal.

Her love story went viral in Ukraine and the world. While still under siege at the Azovstal plant, she married a border guard, Andrii Subotin, on May 5 (the birthday of the Azov regiment). He even made engagement rings for them out of foil. However, he died shortly after, on May 7.

• military
• prisoners
• women

Zemliachky (Countrywomen) NGO together with Viddani project brought together 15 Ukrainian companies to create “dream weddings” for women who defend Ukraine. In particular, a jewelry brand, a lingerie store, a flower salon, hotels and restaurants joined the initiative. Their efforts came to fruition and the first wedding for a Ukrainian military woman was held on April 21. The idea for the project appeared after volunteers began to receive requests from the front line for a wedding wreath or an embroidered dress for a wedding at the front.

For reference: Zemliachky NGO helps military women, in particular, with women’s military uniforms. They also provide psychological assistance.

• military
• women

VETERANKA Women’s Veteran Movement members, together with the ICF Victory Park representatives and the Kyiv Municipal Association Kyivzelenbud workers, planted magnolias in Maria Zankovetska Park in the capital.  

There are signs with a QR code to find near each tree. It redirects to raise funds to purchase army summer boots for women in the military. These are paramedics, aerial reconnaissance, machine gunners, and assault troops who spend more than 17 hours a day in the trenches, on combat positions in extreme terrain. You can also join the charity project online.

• military
• women
• Kyiv

Rescuer Nika is the first woman to master the profession of a dog handler sapper in the ranks of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine. Her partner is a German Shepherd named Hosha, who can search for explosives outside as well as inside cars and rooms. Hosha isn’t new to this service. The dog has been helping sappers demine territories liberated from the occupiers.

• women

Lviv Defense Cluster manufactures light body armor and hands them over to the women in the military. Instead of the standard 20 kilograms, the body armor made by Lviv Defense Cluster weighs only 7-8 kilograms. Recently, female border guards serving in Kharkiv region received such bulletproof vests.

In addition, children’s protective kits featuring helmets and bulletproof vests, which are manufactured by Lviv Defense Cluster, are also in active use on the frontlines. For example, in Donetsk region, every crew of “White Angel” — local police officers who help to evacuate people — have children’s helmets and bulletproof vests made by Lviv Defense Cluster.

For reference: Lviv Defense Cluster unites specialists of defense enterprises, volunteers and production facilities from all over the country to provide the Defenders of Ukraine with high-quality and well tested body armor. The Cluster has its own laboratory for testing finished products.

• children
• military
• women

12 mothers and 27 children currently live in Lviv-based Mother and Child Center “Unbreakable Mothers.” (There are mothers from Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia, Mykolaiv and Kharkiv regions).

This modern facility was created last summer with the support of the Red Cross. The center is designed for more than a hundred people. Pregnant women and women with newborn children who left their homes fleeing the war can find shelter there. Comfortable living conditions have been created for these women. They can also obtain various social services.

• casualties
• women
• Lviv

On April 21, Lviv will host the Armor Fest charity festival to raise UAH 1 million. The funds will be spent on purchasing ultralight body armor plates for Ukrainian paramedics who save the lives of soldiers in the most challenging areas of the frontline. The festival is organized by the VETERANKA Women’s Veteran Movement, which assists the defenders of Ukraine and people affected by the Russian invasion.

• doctors
• military
• women
• Lviv

The W2U (Women to Ukraine) marathon – a round-the-clock conference on the impact of war on women and women on war will take place on March 27 and 28. 

The 24-hour marathon is devoted to discussing ways to protect and empower Ukrainian women with a live broadcast at 13:25 in each of the time zones of the countries participating in. The Kyiv studio will be kept open during daylight hours, and Zoom Rooms with experts involved from around the globe will be on the air for 24 hours. 

In 24 hours, participants will be able to hear more than 65 speakers from 15 countries.

Among the speakers: Kateryna Levchenko (Government Commissioner for Gender Policy, Ukraine), Irene Fellin (NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for Women, Peace, and Security), Oleksandra Matviichuk (Head of the Center for Civil Liberties (CCL), first Nobel Prize winner, Ukraine), Vineta Kleine, Head of the NATO Information and Documentation Center in Ukraine, Latvia) and many others. See here for more details on the event and its participants.

• women
• Kyiv

Olha is from Hostomel, Kyiv region. She survived the occupation with her parents and 7-year-old son. She was hiding in the basement with her child. At one point, the russian military broke into their house. In addition, Olha saw and heard other horrors of the occupation. In particular, how the russians shot down her fellow villager. Journalists are invited to find out how the woman managed to escape from the occupation.

For reference: at the beginning of April, Ukraine commemorates the anniversary of the liberation of its northern regions from russian occupation. In particular, the village of Hostomel, where the woman lives, was liberated by the Armed Forces of Ukraine on April 1, 2022.

• casualties
• occupation
• women
• Kyiv

According to “Ukrainian Women Veteran Movement” NGO, paramedics wear over 31 kg worth of gear every day: body armor, helmet, backpack with medicine, tourniquets, bandages, etc. They need to move quickly, roll over or carry the wounded. Veterans know from their own experience that it is difficult and could lead to devastating consequences for the musculoskeletal system. Therefore, the NGO decided to make life easier for these women and purchase 50 ultra-light bulletproof vests. (The weight of such a vest is 2 kg on average, and a standard one is 7 kg or more).

For reference: “Ukrainian Women Veteran Movement” NGO is a community of Ukrainian women with military experience. The NGO takes care of about a thousand female veterans and recruits: from advocating for the rights of female defenders to providing ammunition, basic hygiene products, cars, medical supplies, and drones. The organization’s mission is to help build a professional army where equal rights for women and men are guaranteed.

• doctors
• military
• women