Ukrainian women choose to fight, not flee
Thousands steadfast in decision to defend their homeland against Russia
Last month, Olga Kovalenko moved into her first apartment in Kyiv, Ukraine, and got engaged to her longtime boyfriend. Now, she spends mornings cleaning her rifles and pulling people out of bomb-stricken homes.
When Ukraine enacted martial law and banned men 18 to 60 years old from leaving the country after Russia’s invasion Feb. 24, Kovalenko said she knew she would never forgive herself if she left her homeland. She called her parents and volunteered to join Ukraine’s military forces.
“I wasn’t about to leave all the saving and defending to the men. I may be a woman, but I have no children, and I’m ready to fight,” Kovalenko told USA TODAY. “This is my land, I stay.”
Kovalenko is one of thousands of women refusing to flee as cities have been bombarded, steadfast in their decision to defend their beloved home and extinguish Russian President Vladimir Putin’s hopes for a swift victory.
Women make up about 15% of the army, according to the Ukrainian government.
Each day, Kovalenko said, her unit goes to different cities hit by Russia’s relentless attacks. They evaluate damage, help evacuate civilians and are ready to fend off Russian forces. Kovalenko hasn’t encountered a Russian soldier but said she would “do what’s necessary” to win the war.
Kovalenko was born in Kyiv to a Ukrainian mother and Russian father – she said both her parents are proud.
Her father said he stands with Ukraine and is “disappointed” with the invasion.
“I’m different. I’m half of each side in this war, but I choose to do what’s right. I choose to risk my life for my country; it’s what my Ukrainian blood tells me to do,” Kovalenko said.
Alona Bushynska, an Odesa native who was a makeup artist for 17 years, traded in her brushes for medical supplies and weapons.
A few months ago, her biggest worry was scheduling her next client. Today, it’s protecting her unit and partners in a civilian task force in Ukraine.
Bushynska said she decided to join the war effort while she watched neighborhoods near Kyiv destroyed by Russian forces. Each morning, the task force wakes up to the sound of bombs and brings medical supplies to soldiers and civilians.
The task force operates in units of two: One person provides medical assistance while the other is armed and ready to defend as needed.
The task force is filled with dozens of women, Bushynska said. Among them: former journalists, paramedics and teachers.
“We’re not professional warriors, we are just civilians who stayed because we want to protect our houses. We want there to be homes and buildings for people to come back to,” Bushynska said. “If I die, I die. But I want to stay.”
Women such as Kovalenko and Bushynska are no different from the thousands of female Ukrainian soldiers who fought in the Austro-Hungarian army during World War I and in the Red Army during World War II, Ukrainian veteran Kateryna Pryimak said.
During Russia’s invasion of eastern Ukraine in 2014, Pryimak enlisted in the Ukrainian army and fought on the front lines to protect the region. Eight years later, she’s defending her country in a new way – with medical supplies and volunteers.
Pryimak is the head of the Women’s Veteran Movement, an organization that set up a headquarters in Kyiv. Dozens of women are paramedics. They provide food, clothes and medical resources.
“Guns are not the only thing needed. Food, medical attention and even a smile, that’s also what the women who have stayed behind provide to the soldiers and civilians,” Pryimak said.
She said thousands of women have joined the fight against the Russian invasion – and she’s not surprised. Women have proved they are just as capable of bravery as men, she said.
Bushynska said she will fight alongside other civilians for as long as it takes.
“Men don’t always have to fight, and women don’t always have to sit at home and wait,” Kovalenko said.
“We are here to help, and we’ll stay here until the war is over, until my last breath, if needed.”