Over 70K Ukrainian women now serving in army as war with Russia drags on
Courtesy of @anna_shorina
As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine approaches its fourth year, an increasing number of Ukrainian women are stepping into the war effort, aided by modern technology.
Ukraine’s Defense Ministry reported that more than 70,000 women are currently serving in the military in 2025, marking a 20% rise since 2022.
When Russian leader Vladimir Putin launched his full-scale invasion in 2022, young Ukrainian men flocked to recruitment centers in a surge of patriotic enthusiasm. Since then, however, Kyiv’s forces have suffered devastating losses. President Volodymyr Zelensky reported earlier this year that approximately 45,000 soldiers have been killed and at least 390,000 more wounded.
Advances in military technology have opened combat roles that were traditionally male-dominated, prompting the Ukrainian military to intensify recruitment efforts aimed at women in recent months.
Drone operations have emerged as one of the most popular combat roles for women. “The fact that technology lets us deliver ammunition without carrying it in our hands or running it to the front line, that’s incredible,” said Monka, 26, a pilot in the Unmanned Systems Battalion of Ukraine’s Third Army Corps.
Drones have become central to Kyiv’s strategy, targeting Russia’s oil and gas infrastructure, a key source of funding for Putin’s war effort.
Faced with shortages of artillery shells from the U.S. and Europe, Ukraine developed its own drone production industry using locally sourced materials. These drones can act as kamikaze weapons, drop explosives, return to their operators, or conduct reconnaissance, allowing troops to gather intelligence without exposing themselves to direct combat.
“I liked that you could strike the enemy remotely,” said 25-year-old Yaha, a bomber-drone pilot in the 9th Brigade. “So I thought this was our future. War is not cool or glamorous. It’s pain, suffering, and loss. You just do it because you want to change the situation.”
Of the 70,000 women in Ukraine’s military, more than 5,500 are deployed directly to the front line. The number of casualties among these women remains unknown.
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