How Ukrainian Women Fight for Ukraine’s Independence

March 27, 2023
Fighting for their country has united Ukrainian women of different experiences and backgrounds.
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Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale war, Ukraine's women and girls have been heavily affected.

  • According to the UN, at least 2,296 women and girls have been killed since 24 February, 2022. However, the real number of victims is now impossible to know due to the ongoing hostilities and Russian occupation of some Ukrainian territories.

In addition to security threats, displacement inside and outside Ukraine, as well as a lack of access to healthcare, basic social services, and even food and water supply in areas with heavy fighting, women and girls have also faced the risk of gender-based violence, especially sexual violence. There are verified cases of Russian troops using sexual violence as a weapon to break resistance and erase Ukrainian identity.

However, Ukrainian women are also fully taking part in Ukraine's fight for independence.

Since February 24, 2022, women have joined the military and territorial defense forces, coordinated volunteer groups to help civilians and soldiers, involved themselves in human rights activism, gathered evidence of Russia's war crimes in Ukraine, and joined the resistance partisans in the occupied territories. The way women have participated in Ukraine's fight for survival has defied "traditional" gender roles and stereotypes of women merely being "victims of the war."

It also spoils Russia's narratives about "traditional family values," which hold that "a woman's place at home" and limits women to being mother and wives.

UkraineWorld talked to women who are actively involved in the fight for Ukraine's independence. They include human rights defenders, volunteers, members of resistance groups, and soldiers. They all have different backgrounds and experiences, but they are united by a single mission: to help Ukraine in its fight against Russia.

Women in Human Rights Defense

UkraineWorld spoke to Oleksandra Romantsova, the executive director of Ukrainian human rights organization the Center for Civil Liberties.

Photo credit: ArmyInform

The organization was founded in 2007 and has been working on the implementation of human rights standards in Ukraine ever since. In 2014, the organization founded EuroMaidan SOS, an initiative that united volunteers to provide legal and other help for participants in Revolution of Dignity. Then, after Russia's occupation of Crimea and the beginning of Russian aggression in Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts, the Center for Civil Liberties began to work on documentation of war crimes and the freeing of Ukrainian political prisoners.

*"In 2014 we founded EuroMaidan SOS and mobilized volunteers to join the human rights movement and the response to threats from Russia's aggression. Then it spread to the occupation of Crimea, where we were first and foremost working on political prisoners. Then we were documenting war crimes and political persecutions in Crimea and in Donbas since 2014. So, before the beginning of the invasion, we had been working a lot with reforms, monitoring, documenting and political prisoners." - says Oleksandra.

Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine, the organization has been documenting Russia's war crimes in Ukraine as part of the Tribunal for Putin Coalition, tracking  civilians captured or deported to Russia and  building up partnerships with international human rights organizations.

"It is essential to document and gather war crimes evidence and testimonies now, before the war erases their traces, as we have seen since 2014... At this moment, it means catching the story right now and making the construction of cases for justice possible. We argue very strongly that justice is essential to stop this aggression as well as prevent potential aggression in the future,"  Romantsova explains of her organization's work with war crimes.

This "erasure of traces" means not only that people who witnessed crimes lose their recollections  or change their testimonies, but also that the front line shifts to make evidence inaccessible and that evidence gets deleted, especially photos and videos.

So far, the organization has registered 34 000 war crimes cases to investigate.

"The most terrifying thing is to see protected objects that were never supposed to be targeted by any army, like theaters, churches, museums, schools, and hospitals, are now all destroyed. This happens systematically where Russian troops come... We had a case where they [the Russians] put 8 tanks on the territory of a retirement home. It was impossible either to evacuate people from there or supply it with food... I'm not talking here about Bucha where we were 3 days after its de-occupation." - says Oleksandra.

Speaking about the impact of the war on women in Ukraine, Oleksandra explains that, on one hand, it has made women more visible in "traditionally masculine" spheres like defense, logistical supplies, diplomacy, politics, and resistance movements. However, despite fighting gender stereotypes that used to exist in society, women have also been victims of violence committed by Russian soldiers.

"In this war, women have first become objects of sexual violence and forced violence, in general, committed by occupants. It has a wide variety, even from forcing to serve. When we talk about sexual violence, it is now more targeted against women, but there are also many cases of it targeting men... Sexual violence as a weapon of war aims at not only satisfying physical desires, dominance, and using of the body, but also at structural dominance. That means that sex is used to humiliate, to break the spirit, so it is used against women who show leadership and resilience, as well as against men." - says Oleksandra.

In 2022 Center for Civil Liberties was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. It continues to speak out for justice for Ukrainian prisoners, human rights, and war crimes at the international level.

"The Nobel Prize for us is a great responsibility, as it gives us the opportunity to talk about the importance of human rights in prevention of the war, and about  justice in cases of Ukrainian war crimes to stop these practices.... We are talking about the release and cases of Ukrainian prisoners. We are saying that the defense of human rights is not a topic for compromises. It is a basis, a red line that can not be crossed." she argues.

Ukrainian Women in the Army

Ukrainian women are serving in the Ukrainian Armed Forces. According to the Deputy Minister of Defence, in summer 2022, there were 50 000 women in Ukraine's military. UkraineWorld talked to Kateryna Prymak, the Deputy Chair of the Ukrainian Women's Veteran Movement.

Photo credit: ArmyInform

"The Women's Veteran Movement is the first community of women with military experience: veterans, current soldiers, and volunteers who are taking part in the struggle for victory. We united for our rights in the army. It all began with the Invisible Battalion advocacy campaign that fought for our visibility," explains Prymak.

The Invisible Battalion campaign originated in 2015 from research into the participation of women in the fighting in Donbas. It raised awareness of women in the army and the lack of respect for their contributions. As Prymak said to us, "women were serving  in combat positions, but were legally classified as service personnel." In 2018, the legislation was changed and women received  the same legal status in the military as men.

Since 2018, the Women's Veteran Movement has also advocated for changes in the Ukraine's security sector, as well as with the re-integration of women veterans.

Since the beginning of the full-scale war, the organization has focused on helping women serving in the military, as well as continuing to advocate for servicewomen's rights.

"We spend 50% [of the organization's efforts]  on survival. This means support for the Armed Forces and  female defenders, volunteering, fundraising, and gathering support for various volunteer initiatives. We have a workshop that produces uniforms for women, as well as a laboratory that repairs and develops drones. We have warehouses with medicine, tactical staff, food, and military equipment. Our second working domain is advocacy for women's rights," explains Prymak.

She says that  problems with gender stereotypes and gender insensitivity still exist.

"Unfortunately, there has been a backlash towards gender equality since the beginning of the full-scale war. All the problems that used to exist previously have become more visible, like the lack of female uniforms, hygiene products, and normal gender-sensitive services," she argues.

However, women in the Ukrainian army have kept fighting, both against the enemy and against entrenched beliefs that women don't have a place  in the army.

"In fact, all women who are in military service and who have come to fight for Ukraine will never refuse to go ahead. They will overcome all difficulties...The visibility of women in the army is essential: when people are serving honorably, it needs to be respected. Women represent great potential for the army. It is essential to share their success stories to make the army better. Women [in the army] mean technological development and the defense of human rights in the armed services," Prymak concludes.

Women in Resistance Groups

Women have also made their presence felt in resistance groups that operate in the occupied territories. In spite of the tremendous risk of torture and death should they be captured, these groups have organised pro-Ukrainian demonstrations, distributed pro-Ukraine leaflets and symbols, and provided intelligence to the Ukrainian military.

UkraineWorld spoke with two women involved in the Ukrainian resistance under the occupation.

"February 24 was a regular day for me. I just heard some explosions, but didn`t pay attention... I kept working and sorting photos for the project [at school], and was getting prepared for work. At 7, I left for work and was shocked by the huge number of cars. The street where my lyceum was located was packed. Then I understood that people were escaping. I came to school, wrote on the blackboard "24 Februar. Klassenarbeit. Stunde №..." [in German]. None of my colleagues were there, and I didn't understand what was happening... Then I heard the children's voices from the dormitory... I came there and everyone was screaming "War" and standing with bags... I came to my class, wrote to my daughter to go immediately home [from Zaporizhia to Melitopol], because we were being bombed," recounted Hanna But, a teacher from Melitopol.

Photo credit: Suspilne

On 26 February 2022, the city was occupied by Russian troops.

"The situation in the city when Russian troops came was very tense... We saw their paddy wagons driving through our streets with loudspeakers: they were describing how they will change everything, make our lives good and our prices lower. That we would never regret that Russia came here. It was terrible... Wherever we went, they were standing everywhere with these paddy wagons and their fingers on the triggers of their weapons," remembers But.

She explains that many people joined protests, even though Russia threatened to punish anyone showing signs of Ukrainian identity or symbols. Sometimes protests could gather up to 2000  people. On 6 March, a demonstration gathered 5000 people. Hanna herself attended pro-Ukrainian demonstrations.

"We went to the joint prayer meetings. On March 1, we met to pray with other people. It was raining and cold. We were singing "Peace for Ukraine," "God, protect Ukraine", and the Ukrainian anthem... We agreed that we would meet every day at 12.00 near the Shevchenko monument on Victory Square. We did it every day... We stopped near every building on the block and sang and chanted "Melitopol is Ukraine" and  "Melitopol, arise." It felt like we were trying to reach out to the universe for our liberation."

Hanna took part in these gatherings every day, as well as sharing leaflets and writing posts on social media. However, the pressure of the occupational government on pro-Ukrainian activists became stronger every day. Hanna recounted one occasion in which a young girl from her lyceum was arrested because of a Ukrainian flag drawn on her cheek.

"The resistance [in the form of demonstrations] ended when thousands of Russian soldiers came to the square, surrounded us, and began to push us... We were dispersed... When we were dispersed for the last time, one of our members, a woman, was arrested and then left in the middle of nowhere, 35 km away from the city. They liked to do this: arrest people and leave them somewhere in a field, 35 km far from the city," - But recounted.

Even after this incident, until the end of April 2022, But continued to attend  prayers for peace, which were the only gatherings  allowed by the occupational regime. She also shared pro-Ukrainian leaflets across the city and gathered with other members of the resistance movement in parks or cafes. When the pressure grew too great and the majority of Hanna's group left the city or were arrested, she made the decision to leave Melitopol.

"Strangers would call me and just stay on the line... I got messages like "You Nazi bastard, burn in hell." My neighbors were trying to say something similar... Many people just disappeared. I had a strong motivation in love for my land and freedom. We thought that we would show the world our resistance and that Melitopol is Ukraine, and that the world would support us." - says Hanna.

In addition to her resistance activity, But also continued teaching her students remotely using the Ukrainian curriculum. She explains that children who received Ukrainian education under occupation are in danger of arrest and receive threats.

"They force children to study by their rules with threats to deprive parents of their parental rights, impose penalties, and deport children to Russia... They are heavily repressing the Ukrainian language ... My student received threats from the Russians for speaking Ukrainian in the spring. They put a bag on his head, beat him, and abandoned him in a field. Everything Ukrainian is persecuted," - But laments.

Now, But is continuing to teach and volunteer. In 2022, she was honored as a National Legend of Ukraine for her resistance activity for continuing to teach children in Ukrainian in spite of the occupation.

Ukraine also spoke to a woman from the resistance movement in Kherson who has been volunteering since 2014. [For safety reasons, she could only speak to us anonymously].

"For me, the war has been going on since 2014. On  March 8 2014, a group of us women from Kherson went to Crimea in 6 cars to bring humanitarian aid for military units that were being held by the Russians. We just took food and threw it over the fence to our soldiers, trying to give chocolates and preserves through the holes in fences," she recalls.

On 24 February 2022, she went to the local volunteering center and helped soldiers who were defending Kherson from the Russians attacking the city.

"February 24, 2022 was a terrible day for me. I was awoken by explosions at 5-6.00. The airport in Chornobaivka was burning. I ran to the volunteer center where there were already soldiers... We began to make Molotov cocktails, as volunteers had brought bottles and ingredients. While we were doing it in the basement, there were helicopters and planes flying above... We were also gathering necessary items and food, and making sandwiches for the soldiers," she recounts.

After bitter fighting for the city, Russian troops occupied Kherson on March 3. The city's people gathered to protest. Russian soldiers dispersed the rallies with rifles and tear gas. Many demonstrators were arrested.

"Until  May 5, we were resisting and putting up ribbons. We secretly helped our wounded soldiers in hospitals and those who we hid. I was captured on 5 May. They put a bag over my head... Then they threw me in a cell and tied me to a pipe. They began to torture and interrogate me, and they turned the Volunteer Center upside down... They tortured me until June 28, and then they dumped me in a park. I was hidden and treated in secret until I recovered by the morning. When they discovered that I was alive, they began to look for me again," the woman explains.

She was tortured with electroshocks. She explains that many Ukraine supporters just disappeared. However, even after being tortured, she continued her resistance, tying blue and yellow ribbons around the city, writing graffiti saying things like "the Ukrainian Army is close," and "we will be liberated soon." She also helped the hunt for collaborators and reported on Russian troop movements and logistics . She witnessed the liberation of Kherson on 11 November, 2022.

"November 11 was something unbelievable with the first [soldiers] riding in with the Ukrainian flag. There were thousands of people on the square, all cheering and hugging the [Ukrainian] soldiers, shouting "Glory to ZSU [the Ukrainian Armed Forces]." I was crying," she recalls with pride.

The woman continues to volunteer for the Ukrainian Army in Kherson, despite the severe shelling of the city and destruction of her house after a Russian missile attack.


Russia's brutal war has affected all Ukrainians, regardless of gender. But in spite of the risks, challenges, and amount of work to be done, Ukrainians are united in the fight for the country's independence. Ukrainian women have spent the past year of war breaking stereotypes and barriers through their work to support their country in the human rights movement, politics, resistance movements, military, and humanitarian response. These 4 stories are just a small component of how Ukrainian women have helped to bring victory and justice closer.

DZVENYSLAVA SHCHERBA
Analyst and Journalist at UkraineWorld