There are only girls in the unit. Is this possible in the Ukrainian army?

“Kyiv Witches”

Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Daryna “Shems” has tried to join a combat unit four times. She was denied, even though she had experience working in the press service and as a paramedic in the medical unit of a volunteer battalion. Even her former comrades-in-arms said that “it is better to take a man as a paramedic because a woman is not as effective”. In another brigade, they said that they try not to have women close to the positions.

In November 2022, Daryna received a letter from veteran Vasilisa Mazurchuk, who was gathering a women's aerial reconnaissance unit and offered to join. However, Daryna was not sure about this format.

“I couldn't see myself in a women's team. It seemed to me that this was not my specificity. Maybe it's because I met very few women during the war,” Daryna reflects.

Anyway, she accepted the offer. Together with four other volunteers and veterans, they began training.

Vasilisa Mazurchuk got the idea to create a women's unit after the Kruk drone training center offered her six free training courses. Vasilisa, a former press officer with volunteer battalions, moved to Ireland with her child when the full-scale invasion began, and her husband, a career officer, is fighting.

“My hands were tied as I was with my child, but I realized that I can organize something even from Ireland,” says Vasilisa, who raises funds for the military.

She donated part of the donations to an aerial reconnaissance school. Then she was offered free courses and decided to send female veterans and volunteers to them. From Ireland, she planned to coordinate the training and raise funds for a new women's unit. She called it the Kyiv Witches.

“There are enough men as it is. Women need comfortable company. I've heard sexist remarks about 'why did you get involved with a women's team, or do you not know what a serpentarium this is'. Surprisingly, we are very comfortable working together. I arrange training courses, and the girls do a great job,” says Mazurchuk.

Daryna and her comrades have completed part of their training. Now they are officially enrolling in the Armed Forces and are looking for a unit to join. Despite her doubts at first, she is now satisfied.

“It was a revelation for me. I feel more comfortable because we know what to expect from each other. We know what each of us is capable of because men will still treat us with compassion, they will always want to help, and we are more or less equal,” Daryna describes her experience.

So that a woman does not have to fight for a position as a mortar or machine gunner

Marine Yaryna Chornohuz also suggested creating women's combat units. On the one hand, she says, women's physical training differs from men's, for example, they can run more slowly. Women in the same unit could be on the same level. On the other hand, Chornohuz adds, it is difficult for a woman to get into a combat company.

"If there are in fact all-male combat units, and there are even those that do not accept women as a matter of principle, why can't we have a similarly female unit where women will not have to fight for mortar, grenade launcher, and machine gunner positions with men?” Yaryna asks rhetorically.

Women's military units in the world's armies

Some countries already have women's (or predominantly women's) units, but regular armies rarely involve them in direct combat. In Israel, there are four light infantry battalions, which are ⅔ female. They guard Israel's borders, but their functions do not include working behind enemy lines. In one of these battalions, an all-female tank unit was created to guard the border with Egypt.

Norway also has a women's unit. The Norwegian army realized that it needed special forces during the war in Afghanistan. Due to cultural peculiarities, Afghan women did not communicate with men, so women were required to communicate and gather intelligence. They had previously been eligible to join the Norwegian Special Operations Forces, but none had been selected. In 2014, the SOF announced a recruitment drive for the Jegertroppen (Hunting Squad) with lighter standards. The program was called a success, but there is no information on the unit's involvement in combat operations.

Earlier, units with a similar mission were created in the United States and the United Kingdom. The women's groups, which included volunteers, helped Marines and special operations forces establish contact with local women in Iraq and Afghanistan.

China also announced the creation of a women's unit in its Special Operations Forces in 2013. Chinese media reported on the training of this unit, but it is not known whether it was involved in operations.

In Syria, Kurdish women's self-defense units, YPJ, have been fighting Islamists since 2013. Women soldiers have also repelled attacks from Turkey. Following their lead, in 2015, One of the nationalities living in several countries of the Middle East and the CaucasusYazidi women's units, YJÊ, a militia to protect against attacks by Islamist groups, were founded in Iraq.

Not a “photo battalion consisting of Valkyrie women”

When Yaryna Chornohuz wrote on Facebook about the idea of creating a women's unit in the Ukrainian army, she received criticism from both civilians and the military. Those who did not support the idea called the women's team a “terrarium” and the unit, which would not accept men, discriminatory. Chornohuz disagrees.

“You need to understand the difference between a women's civilian team and even a military rear guard team and a company that is constantly in the combat zone and performing difficult tasks. When you are performing tasks daily, you have no time or desire to squabble. If you don't support each other, you won't survive the war,” the soldier explains.

Among the dangers is the combat capability of the women's battalion: Russians will try to break through their defenses if they learn about the women's unit. That is why such a unit cannot be an assault unit, says Ihor Lutsenko, former MP and soldier of the 72nd Brigade.

“The risk is that you put all your eggs in one basket. If you concentrate women in one unit, it means that at some point they may find themselves in very unpleasant places and suffer very much,” Lutsenko suggests. If it is an infantry company, the Russians will not even break through their defense, but may shell them more, Lutsenko suggests.

The soldier believes that women could work with logistics, radio reconnaissance, and electronic warfare, “then there will be no need for superloads and the unit will not suffer losses, because it will be a very sad story, and it will definitely not raise our morale.”

Yaryna Chornohuz agrees that the unit should not be an assault unit, but at the same time, she believes that women could form a light infantry unit, an aerial reconnaissance unit, and a reconnaissance unit, and serve as sappers and snipers. Chornohuz is convinced that if such a unit is well-coordinated and well-equipped, the risks of a breakthrough will be negligible, and if the Russians really pay more attention to this area of the front, other units will have more opportunities to attack.

Nevertheless, the very existence of such a unit would improve Ukraine's image, says military officer Ihor Lutsenko:“It will be bright and cinematic. At the very least, it will be an occasion to once again show our certain ideological and political proximity to the West.”

This is exactly what Yaryna Chornohuz would not want – to become a unit for show. The servicewoman would agree to lead the unit, but only on one condition.

“An ostentatious photo battalion of Valkyrie women is bullshit. I will not do this. This should be a unit that will perform tasks in the combat zone,” Chornohuz says categorically.

The servicewoman admits that there is a risk that the General Staff, even if it agreed to create a combat unit, would not allow women to take part in combat missions. Therefore, participation in combat operations should be the first condition for the creation of a women's unit. According to her, the General Staff has already shown interest in her idea, “at least in words, and is thinking about it”. hromadske sent an inquiry to the General Staff about the possibility of creating such units. At the time of publication, we had not received a response.