From camouflage nets to combat medics: women of Ukraine

Julia Kalashnyk

Tracking women’s involvement in Ukraine’s military and volunteer networks

Earlier this year, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense reported that the Ukrainian Army includes 70,000 women. Of those, 48,000 serve as military personnel – and 5,500 are deployed on the front lines.

When the full-scale war broke out, thousands of Ukrainian women joined the army, volunteered, or became frontline medics.

But it wasn’t just them – journalists, psychologists, activists – all stepped up to help Ukraine defend itself.

Ukrainian society is bright, active – and often has a woman’s face. In the very first days of the invasion, in the central city of Dnipro – as everywhere else in the country – mobilization was happening all around. The war caught me there, in a hotel, with an Italian colleague, as we were reporting on the possible looming Russian invasion. Guess what – it caught us. We moved from one hotel to another, along with a growing number of families fleeing the hardest-hit areas.

But at the same time, resistance was already alive. Women were an active part of it. The hotel receptionist, after spending time at the front desk, would inevitably head down to the basement – where locals were preparing Molotov cocktails. Recipes for them were showing up in every second social media post in my feed during those early days. Calm and composed, she even invited us to join.

Nearby, a group of women – all ages – had gathered to collect food and water for Ukrainian soldiers. Water, biscuits, coffee in bulk, chocolate, grains, medicine – everything had a purpose.

As we moved west, we reached cities that had become hubs for internally displaced Ukrainians. In Lviv, the largest city in western Ukraine near the Polish border, I visited a large group of women weaving camouflage nets for the army. The number was striking. Most were locals, joined by women who had fled frontline cities and towns. They came together not only to help but to connect, fight off fear and loneliness, and feel useful in a time of chaos.

Among them was Alina from Kharkiv, in her late 50s. After a week of relentless bombardment, she left for Lviv to join her son, who had lived there with his family for years. Not long after arriving, she found a volunteer group and began weaving nets too.

But it wasn’t just camouflage nets. In those early weeks, a massive wave of civic volunteerism swept across the country. Thousands of grassroots initiatives emerged – from helping the army to supporting displaced families.

During my short stay in western Ukraine, I met women preparing food to send to the front – dry goods, packed food. Others were collecting clothes for refugees. In Ternopil, women met evacuation trains with hot soup, tea, and warm blankets.

Three years into the full-scale war, not much has changed – Ukrainian women are still stepping up to support their country. Of course, it’s not only women – men are active too – but here, we’re focusing on the women.

Their role also extends into the army itself. Many took part in evacuating the wounded from the frontlines –many joined as combat medics. As of 2025, hundreds of Ukrainian women serve as paramedics on the front line, in what’s known as “point zero” – the most dangerous positions, where they provide life-saving aid on the spot and evacuate the injured under fire.

Other women help supply the military with everything from uniforms to drones. My friend Iva is part of a project developing the first anatomically designed women’s body armor – a response to long-standing gender inequality in military gear.

Another friend, Anya, a journalist, says: “I’m a journalist, so during the war, I’m exactly where I’m meant to be.” She often highlights how women in Ukraine continue to fulfill their social missions. “Recently, I found a young woman who runs the Facebook page Russia Killed Them,” she adds.

“She collects and documents stories of civilians killed by Russia – people who died because of the war.” Anya believes this work is vital: “It’s memory. And she struggles to find even the smallest traces of information about many of them.”

Another woman volunteers as a psychologist, helping soldiers deal with trauma – and she’s one of many. R. spends her days cooking, including Kharkiv’s emergency rescuers – the same ones who rescue people from the rubble after missile strikes.

It’s a massive collective heart – made up of women in the military, medics, paramedics, volunteers, journalists, activists, teachers, and all those who, in Ukraine and abroad, keep working, raising children, and holding the line, day after day, no matter what.

Ukrainian society is vibrant and, more importantly, horizontal in structure. That means volunteer movements and grassroots initiatives often spring up on their own – self-organized, self-sufficient, and fast-moving. This spirit drives everything from raising money for drones, medical supplies, and military gear, to supporting volunteer kitchens that cook for soldiers.

Technically, yes, food for the army is the state’s job, but volunteers chip in too boosting morale with care and attention. Ukrainians just can’t shrink themselves, when the war touches the society’s all levels.

Since the start of the full-scale war, thousands of volunteers have taken charge of raising funds for the essentials. Crowdfunding is now a part of daily life – it’s rare to meet anyone in Ukraine who hasn’t donated. It’s become a form of civic resistance, and women are front and center in this effort.

In my social media feed alone, I see women – directors, journalists, aestheticians, dentists – regularly raising money for military units. Sometimes it’s for a car. Sometimes a night-vision scope. Some women do it because a friend serving in a brigade asked. Others – because their son or partner is at the front.

“What, should I just sit and do nothing?” – a woman who works at the post office once told me. “From every paycheck, I donate to the Armed Forces. And with my female coworkers, we send something tasty to the boys at the front. Because they’re there for all of us.”

women carrying the national flag of ukraine during a peaceful protest — Photo by Nati on Pexels.com

Julia Kalashnyk : Ukrainian freelance journalist | Kyiv | Kharkiv; Julia Kalashnyk is a Ukrainian freelance reporter who focuses on Russia’s war on Ukraine. ulia is an aspiring documentary filmmaker. She is particularly interested in politics, social issues, and culture in Eastern Europe and the Caucasus.

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