‘If Not Me, Who?’: As Ukraine Seeks Troops, Women Prepare for the Call
KYIV, Ukraine — Halyna Vynokur, a clerk in a hardware store in Kyiv, was shouldering a firearm for the first time. Iryna Sychova, a purchasing manager at a department store, disassembled and reassembled the jumble of rods and springs in a Kalashnikov rifle. They were among two dozen women who...
According to The New York Times, Kiev has lifted restrictions that prevented women from holding positions such as machine gunner, tank commander, sniper, and truck driver.
The age limit for female conscripts has also been raised from 40 to 60 years, as well as for men.
According to the country's Ministry of Defense, about 43 thousand women are currently serving in the military - this is 40% more than in 2021.
“Nobody wants to fight in the trenches,” said Olha Bakhmatova, 46, a psychologist who attended the training. “It’s unnatural to want it.” But she felt it was “inevitable” that more women would wind up fighting, and she wanted to be prepared. “Now, I understand: If not me, who?” she said.
The Ukrainian army’s outreach to women is a step toward equality, to be sure, but one that also reflects the tremendous toll the war has exacted.
“Women are able to fight on an equal footing with men and at the same time remain feminine,” said Darya Trebukh, the founder of the nongovernmental group, Ukrainian Valkiriya, that is leading the training sessions. “The gender of a warrior makes no difference.”
