Thousands of women have voluntarily joined Ukraine’s armed forces since 2014, when Russia’s occupation of Crimea and territories in eastern Ukraine began. Over the past nine years, the number of women serving in the Ukrainian military has more than doubled, with another wave of women joining after Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. Women have served in Ukraine’s armed forces since the country declared its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 but were mainly in supporting roles until the beginning of the war in 2014. They started serving in combat roles in 2016 and all military roles were opened to women in 2022. Many women in non-combat roles, such as medics, are however exposed to the same dangers and hardships as their male and female colleagues who fire the weapons.
