According to the official data of the General Staff, 42,000 women serve in the Armed Forces of Ukraine on an equal basis with men.
ELLE Ukraine magazine has organized a series of interviews with our women soldiers called “Women at the Front”. ELLE means “she” in French, and this is the strong, courageous, militant “she” in Ukraine today.
The heroines of the project took part in the filming. If not for the military uniform and weapons in hand, it might look like a report from a fashion event on the red carpet. This is not surprising, because Ukrainian women are known all over the world for their beauty.
“42,000 women serve in the armed forces of Ukraine. Of these, 1,000 occupy command positions and can cope with heavy physical work and mental stress. They fight like men on all fronts, and more and more women want to defend Ukraine. Their patriotism cannot be broken,” writes Elle.
The first heroine of our story is Victoria Kravchenko, a military psychologist, 30 years old, major. She left her young son at home to join the Self-Defense Forces and hasn’t seen him in four months. She promises to make up for the absence of her child after the victory and also dreams of the birth of her daughter.
Alexandra – shooter, 23 years old, volunteer. She went to the front so as not to make Ukrainian children cry. “I am convinced that we must do everything so that children live in a peaceful and free country,” says Alexandra.
Kristina Bogachuk, 22 years old, military medic. She has been at the front for two and a half months. “From the very beginning of the war, I had only one thing on my mind: to get my family to a safe place and go to defend my country,” the girl shared. She sees Ukraine as a rich country where happy people live.
Sniper Oksana, combat name Xena, is only 19 years old. She couldn’t sit back when the war started. “I want my family, my friends, and my future children to walk the streets under the Ukrainian flag, Ukrainian songs and the anthem of Ukraine sounded,” she said in an interview.