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The heroine’s call sign has been changed to protect her identity.
Vatra serves in Ukraine’s Defense Forces. She’s a mother of two — a son and a daughter.From the first days of Russia’s full-scale invasion, she helped the military as a volunteer, and in May 2022 officially joined the Armed Forces.At the start of her service, she faced judgment and disbelief: “Why did you go there? What for?” Her son was even told by his peers that he was “motherless.”
Following her husband to the front
After February 24, 2022, Vatra began volunteering — delivering humanitarian aid[...]
22.10.2025
Her military journey began in 2015. Unable to stay aside, Yuliia joined the Armed Forces to defend Ukraine. Among her comrades, she’s known as Bilka — “the Squirrel.” For her two daughters, she’s simply mom. Yet, her choice to serve has brought not only pride but also painful judgment: “She left her children,” “She serves instead of raising them,” “She should be at home.”
A defender and a mother
Throughout her service, Yuliia has taken on many crucial roles — from aerial reconnaissance to logistics. Since the first days of Russia’s full-scale invasion, she has[...]
14.10.2025
Today, over 70,000 Ukrainian women serve in the military. They fight on equal terms, command units and companies, operate drones and artillery, and evacuate the wounded from under fire. Among them are thousands of defenders proving every day that being a woman in the military means strength, resilience, and responsibility. It means carving your own path despite stereotypes and doubt—and never giving up, because women can.
To mark the Defenders Day, VETERANKA launched a large-scale awareness campaign, Women Can Do It!, to spotlight those whose service and courage often remain in the[...]
07.10.2025
On September 2, 2025, in Donetsk region, 19-year-old Daria Lopatina, call sign “Delta”, a soldier of the 12th Special Purpose Brigade of the 1st Corps of the National Guard of Ukraine “Azov,” was killed in action. At just 18, she took up arms and volunteered to join the Armed Forces. She spent the last year of her life defending Ukraine as part of the Azov Brigade. For the brigade, this is the first female soldier killed on the front line since the defense of Mariupol.
From student to defender
A Kyiv School of Economics student and native of Kyiv, Daria joined the Armed[...]
03.10.2025
Anna “Ruta” Reshetnyak, a combat medic with the engineering support group of the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, is one of many mothers in uniform who, for their decision to defend the country, became targets of judgment and painful reproach. She joined the army to protect her children, yet society often responded with condemnation instead of support.
Between art, teaching, and war
Today Anna is a mother of two sons and a daughter, a Ukrainian defender who served in the Avdiivka and Borova sectors, and who is now temporarily in reserve. She is originally[...]
17.09.2025
Alex is a servicewoman in Ukraine’s Defense Forces and the mother of two. Back in 2014, she wanted to enlist but was turned away — her younger son was only six. In 2022, she finally joined the army. Yet alongside fighting Russia on the battlefield, she faces another battle in civilian life — against social prejudice.
The Beginning of Service as a Combat Medic and an Injury
When the full-scale invasion began, Alex saw it as her duty as a conscious citizen to defend her country, convinced that victory would only be possible through unity. She spent three years on the frontlines as[...]
09.09.2025
Yuliia “Kuba” Sidorova is a volunteer, combat medic, and servicemember of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as a clothing designer who has turned creativity into both therapy and a way to support others. Design became not only the path that helped her adapt to civilian life but also her anchor today, even as she once again serves on the front line.
In 2019, after leaving the military, Kuba devoted herself to studying and working with clothing. She shared her process on social media, and soon servicewomen began reaching out, asking her to create “normal women’s[...]
02.09.2025
Motherhood during war is an act of courage that often goes unnoticed. Thousands of women serve on the front lines while raising children, yet their choice is too often met not with respect, but with judgment and painful words.
On social media, mothers who fight frequently face comments like: “You abandoned your child,” “What kind of mother doesn’t raise her own kid,” or “Why can’t you transfer to serve closer to your family?” Instead of receiving support when they share their stories, many women in uniform are met with a wave of hostility. They are cursed, accused of[...]
01.09.2025
A professional perspective on the role of women veterans in the family and the conflict of roles that arises after service, by Ellina Ilyinykh — certified psychotherapist, specialist in the EMDR method and sexology, facilitator of support and therapy groups, and psychologist with the VETERANKA Movement.
A Veteran in the Family: Between Expectations and Reality
When a woman veteran returns from the front, she does not simply come home — she faces a new challenge, as her military experience collides with expectations that she will “be the same as before.”
But how can she[...]
26.08.2025
Combat medic Olena Yeriomenko was killed in action while shielding a fellow soldier.
Olena Yeriomenko — call sign Leleka — a sister-in-arms from the VETERANKA Movement, was killed in action on June 29, 2025, while on a combat mission in the Sumy region. A service member of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, a combat medic of the UAV platoon, 3rd mechanized battalion of the 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade "Magura", Olena gave her life to save others. She absorbed the full impact of an enemy FPV drone strike, shielding her comrade.
She was posthumously awarded the Order “For Courage,”[...]
01.08.2025