Themes by tag: women

Nataliia Sosmii, a cadet of the Ivan Kozhedub Kharkiv National Air Force University, faced the Russian invasion in Kherson. In the first months of the occupation, she rode her bike around the city and passed information about the Russians to the Ukrainian soldiers she possessed. In late August, Nataliia decided to leave Kherson. But the flight was postponed, and 30 armed Russians broke into the cadet’s house. Natalia’s home was searched, and she was taken to a temporary detention center there. There, she was beaten and psychologically pressured: in particular, her 16-year-old daughter was threatened with rape. “They said that they would take me to Donbas and let me go towards the Ukrainian military to be shot by Ukrainian soldiers. I said that I would rather be killed by my people rather than die here,” the cadet recalls.

Nataliia also heard how her classmate Oleksandr was being tortured. To save him, she agreed to take part in the recording of a Russian propaganda video. Nataliia has left Kherson and is safe and ready to talk to the media.

• prisoners
• russian crimes
• women

Before the full-scale invasion, Diana Ilnytska was conducting parenting courses and devoting herself to raising her two children. At the end of February 2022, the woman began to actively volunteer, sending clothes and shoes to Ukrainian defenders. Over time, Diana noticed that most of the military sleep in low-quality sleeping bags, freeze, and cannot rest properly. Diana and the team of the Riy Charitable Foundation managed to develop unique sleep systems that allow soldiers to sleep “just like in a bed”. According to Diana, their sleeping bags meet NATO standards but are several times cheaper than their foreign counterparts.
In addition, she organized the mobile bath unit production. One bath equipment made by Riy 150 soldiers can take a bath, wash, and dry their clothes daily. Six mobile units are already installed at the front, but the production facility in the Kyiv region is working on manufacturing new ones.

• volunteers
• women
• Kyiv

After being drafted into the army on February 25 last year, Oksana’s husband, Andrii Hankevych, became a combat medic. The Last time Oksana had a telephone conversation with her husband was at 11 p.m. on July 5, 2022, and at 1 a.m., he died. That time, her husband told Oksana: “You are strong. You will succeed no matter what happens to me.” These words enabled Oksana to move on, seek support, and raise her three children. The woman calls the Office of Support for Military Families in Lviv her second home. Thanks to the people at the Office, Oksana was able to create her own project, “Keep on Living.” And she is now trying to help the wives and mothers of soldiers who have been killed, gone missing, or captured. The project consists of several parts, including a photo shoot for women. The project’s author is convinced that positive emotions are the medicine that gives military families the strength to persevere in difficult times.

• casualties
• dead
• prisoners
• women

Before the full-scale Russian invasion, Rina Reznik was a high school biology teacher interested in treating brain injuries. Later, she joined the Holosiivskyi Territorial Defense Forces and, in a few weeks, headed to the Donetsk region. Today, Rina is a medic with the Hospitallers Medical Battalion, and she is in charge of blood transfusions at the front and ensuring proper conditions for medical procedures.

• doctors
• military
• women

Anna joined the 93rd Mechanized Brigade “Kholodnyi Yar” in the spring of last year. Since “Tsunami” has a background in logistics, the girl had planned to do this kind of work, instead she became a liaison officer. And later, she even retrained to become a kamikaze drone operator. Then she became the commander of an FPV drone unit. Anna has already been to many hot spots: Izium, Soledar and Bakhmut. There, she successfully used drones to attack the invaders. The woman has already transferred to “Herts” regiment of the Airborne Assault Troops. And now she is in Zhytomyr oblast for additional training.

• military
• women

Before the full-scale Russian invasion, Anastasiia Strokach had never done any repairs, let alone roof repairs. However, she was always keen on restoring things. In April 2022, Anastasiia joined the Dobrobat volunteer building division. At first, she got down to clearing the debris in the Kyiv region but later realized there was a lack of people who could repair roofs. Then Anastasiia overcame her fear of heights and now works in a team that repairs roofs mercilessly shattered by Russian shelling. 

• reconstruction
• volunteers
• women

Kateryna Halushka is a volunteer and combat medic with the Hospitallers Medical Battalion. Even before the full-scale invasion, Kateryna underwent Hospitallers training and served at rotation method. After February 24, she rejoined the Hospitallers: from mid-March to mid-April 2022, she worked in the Kyiv region: Bucha, Hostomel, and Irpin. Then she went to the East to rescue the military in the Avdiivka sector. During the war, Kateryna lost her beloved: he and his unit were going to liberate Mariupol but were killed in action. Now Kateryna works in the Armed Forces as a communications officer.  She has now returned to Kyiv, and in a month, she will return to the East.

• doctors
• military
• women

The WOMAN AND WAR psychologists charity platform helps and supports women and children affected by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In that regard, specialists have developed various group therapies: those for mothers, for women abroad, for women who lost a loved one during the war, for military wives, and teenagers.

In 15 months, the team has assisted nearly 7000 women and children.

Journalists can talk to the charity platform psychologist, as well as to participants who have applied for help by prior arrangement. 

• children
• psychological support
• volunteers
• women

Female Pilots School starts a new drone operators trainee onboarding. The girls will have a busy schedule: theory, basic skills training on simulators, and practice at a training ground in Kyiv Oblast.

Since the school’s inception, 50 students have already completed training on DJI and Autel so-called ‘civilian drones’ in particular. These are the drones that are now successfully operating at the front. Classes are taught by instructors who combine pilot training with work in the combat zone.

• women

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