In Ukraine, the difficult integration of women into the army – L’Express

On the battlefield, every minute counts to save wounded soldiers. So, when a soldier comes to tell Kateryna Halouchka that her evacuation team cannot go there to take away the wounded, the 26-year-old stretcher bearer is taken aback. “For twenty minutes, they tried to convince me that another team should come in our place because I am a woman and the soldiers thought I was incapable of carrying out my task,” says, angrily, the one who, as of 2019 , joined Hospitaliers, a medical battalion made up of volunteers who work with the army.

Since the start of the invasion, Kateryna has carried out missions lasting several weeks or several months on the front. Although she has never fired on the enemy, she nonetheless occupies a key position, that of military nurse. Wherever she is needed, she goes into the fire – like the dozens of volunteers she supervises. “Many women join us because they don’t want to join the army full time,” says Kateryna, met in a café in kyiv during a “perm.” Or else, they come to us because we refuses in combat groups.”

5,000 Ukrainian women on the front line

For a long time, women had no place in the Ukrainian army. Even though many blockages remain, mentalities began to change in 2016, during an intense lobbying campaign, called the “Invisible Battalion”. Two years later, women gained the right to join combat positions. Today, nearly 60,000 of them serve in the Ukrainian army, including 5,000 on the front line. A small proportion, compared to the million Ukrainian soldiers, but the trend is increasing. Last year, they were 40% more than in 2021 to enlist.

In addition to finding themselves under enemy shells, these female soldiers still often have to face the skepticism of their male “colleagues”, who do not always consider them as “sisters in arms”. In a forest near Lviv, in the west of the country, during military training for civilians organized by volunteer instructors, the gender difference is obvious. As a group of young boys barely out of adolescence compare their uniforms while theatrically puffing on their cigarettes, several older women wonder if they will be caught. “How did you manage to join a unit? I heard it’s a real obstacle course,” asks a girl in camouflage to her neighbor in the rain and mud. At the start of the invasion, Tetyana left her job as a graphic designer to volunteer to supply a Ukrainian battalion with military equipment purchased in the European Union. A few months ago, this forty-year-old without children decided to take the plunge by enlisting as a stretcher bearer. For two weeks, she went every day to the military recruitment center, which refused to register her. Eventually, she is registered as an “administrative assistant”, even though she has undergone the same training as the other soldiers and wants to treat the wounded on the front lines.

While waiting to be called to the battlefield, she takes weekend classes with instructors to prepare for the “shock”. Free for the military, these courses are mainly followed by shooting enthusiasts or civilians who anticipate mobilization. “I know that there are many women who would like to serve, but who face bureaucratic obstacles or the weight of mentalities. I am not in favor of a massive mobilization of women, but we should help those who want “It’s better to have a motivated and willing woman than a man who goes backwards,” says Tetyana, whose relatives oppose her decision to fight, for fear that she will be killed.

Since the start of the Russian invasion, more and more women have participated in this training for civilians. On the program: handling of weapons, medical aid… “After the Boutcha massacre, every Ukrainian, whatever their sex, must be ready to take up arms”, estimates Lyubov, 36 years old, boots on his feet and Kalashnikov in hand, during from one of these sessions, in Lviv. His 20-year-old daughter, a shooting enthusiast, has also joined the command center. She holds an administrative position there.

Stigma

More than a question of equality, welcoming women into its ranks is, for the military institution, a necessity. Faced with the inexhaustible numbers of the Russians, who mobilize 20,000 new conscripts per month according to kyiv, the Ukrainian army, which is also tightening exemptions from service for men, needs women to compensate for losses. The age limit was thus raised from 40 to 60 years for female recruits, the same as for men. Since October 1, women with medical training have been required to report to recruitment offices. And this, while Parliament is examining a controversial bill to achieve the objective of 500,000 new fighters. “In all my time on the battlefield, I faced a lot of stigma. The first thing they tell you is that you joined the army to find yourself a job. husband !” explains Kateryna, who, while working in the field, worked for three years in a command center, where she was humorously called “the freelance gender advisor.” In fact, several women have denounced cases of sexual harassment in the army. “To overcome stereotypes, you have to do twice as much as men,” she continues. “That’s the only way to be considered a normal soldier.”

But little by little, prejudices are falling away. In 2023, women were allowed, for the first time, to enter the Odessa military academy, which specializes in intelligence. Is it sufficient ? No, because no woman holds a high-level position within the general staff. And only 8.9% of officers are women, according to an April 2023 report from the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation, a state institution. But here again, the trend could be reversed, hopes Kateryna. “More and more women are joining the army after losing their husband, their boyfriend or their fiancé,” explains the stretcher bearer, whose boyfriend died during the siege of Mariupol, at the start of the invasion. “Whether we like it or not, the population is beginning to realize that everyone will have to fight, regardless of gender, age or social status.” And then, there is still some good news. “Before 2022, we did not have uniforms or shoes in our size,” adds Kateryna, with a smile. After ten years of war, the Ministry of Defense has finally decided to buy us protective vests. balls adapted to our body shape.” If even stewardship begins to follow…