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28 December, 2022
Soon, we will see many female generals in the army

According to the Ministry of Defense, nowadays, the number of female military personnel in Ukraine is one of the highest among NATO member countries.  It is 9%, while in Poland and Denmark – 7 and 8 per cent, respectively. The highest value – 17% – is in the USA.

In view of the war with Russia, the number of women in the army is increasing, and the attitude towards them is changing significantly in Ukraine. This was emphasised by Oksana Hrihorieva, adviser to the Commander of the Ground Forces on gender issues, during the online discussion dedicated to the role of women in the modern Ukrainian army. The debate took place within the framework of a joint project of the Independent Anti-Corruption Commission (NAKO) and the S/He-Front Ukrainian Veterans Foundation. 

Grigorieva noted that legislative changes in 2018 significantly reduced the inequality of rights between men and women in the army. She gave the example that earlier, a female sniper could be listed as a cook, while now women can occupy almost any combat position.

“Today, many women are artillery persons, gun commanders, snipers, even deep-sea diving instructors. Girls have now mastered many occupations we have always seen as male ones. They get their legally earned salary according to their position,” Hrihorieva noted.  

And also added: nowadays, many Ukrainian women are trained in military educational institutions and receive officer ranks. Thus, the expert believes that we will see many women who will become generals in a few years. 

But already now, the prestige of women in the army is growing – notes another speaker of the event, Executive Director of the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation, Nataliia Kalmykova. And this is directly related to a full-scale invasion, she believes. 

“After February 23, there were many people who never planned to serve in the army, people of various occupations. Therefore, the change in the army's social composition will affect the attitude toward women in general. For example, people came from the financial industry, where women held managerial positions. And they are no longer required to prove their capability to perform certain complex tasks.”

According to the Ministry of Defense, there are currently about 60,000 women serving in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. 41,000 women are serving, and another 19,000 are civilian employees who work for the army's needs.