“I’m not an army person. But I will fight until I see victory — or come home on a shield.”

Yana “Multyk,” FPV drone operator, commander of the women’s UAV operators platoon “Amazons of Banshee” (141st Separate Mechanized Brigade), Junior Sergeant of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, sister of the VETERANKA movement

Commander of the women’s UAV operators platoon “Banshee Amazons” — on her combat path and how to join the unit

Yana Zalevska, callsign “Multyk,” is a kamikaze drone operator, commander of the women’s UAV operators platoon “Banshee Amazons” in the Unmanned Systems Battalion of the 141st Separate Mechanized Brigade, and a member of the VETERANKA Movement. She is also the mother of an eight-year-old daughter. For nearly four years, she has been defending Ukraine.

Yana spent a month and a half under occupation in her hometown of Kherson. When she managed to leave the city, she already knew for certain: she would go to war.

In April 2022, she volunteered for mobilization so that, at just 21, she could serve on the front line. Her father, an ATO veteran, ultimately supported his daughter’s decision.

Yana “Multyk” began her combat path in the Kherson direction as part of the 59th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade named after Yakiv Handziuk. At first, she served as a military journalist and combat medic. Later, she became an FPV drone operator, targeting enemy fortifications and equipment.

Since late 2022, she has continued serving in some of the hottest areas of the front in Donetsk region.

In 2024, Yana was wounded in a Russian drone strike — she suffered a concussion, hearing loss, and multiple shrapnel injuries to her face and body. She went through a long and difficult rehabilitation process and underwent eight surgeries.

Her recovery took seven months, after which she returned to service in her brigade.

Today, Yana “Multyk” holds positions in the Pokrovsk direction as part of the 141st Separate Mechanized Brigade. Alongside combat missions, she is focused on training new women operators.

She is now the commander of the women’s UAV operators platoon “Banshee Amazons.” She is building a professional unit made up exclusively of women service members. Yana “Multyk,” who has mastered one of the most technologically advanced military professions, shares her own experience and teaches others how to destroy the enemy effectively.

“People often tell me: I’m afraid because I don’t know how. But in 2022, I didn’t know anything either, and I had no idea what UAVs even were. Now I’m the commander of a women’s platoon and recruiting my team. Fear makes everything look bigger than it is — the main thing is not to stop. We’re afraid because we don’t know what we’ll have to face,” says Yana.

That is exactly why she is building this unit: both for civilians who are ready to defend the country and for women service members who want to transfer from other units.

The command is ready to train them and give them opportunities for professional growth. And the women will stand side by side — in equality, without prejudice, understanding and supporting one another.

If you’ve been looking for “your people” for a long time — you’ve found them.
If you are ready to become part of the Banshee Amazons, write to us.
Application forms are available at the link:

For civilians;
For military personnel.

In this interview, Yana “Multyk” Zalevska speaks about her combat path, the growing role of women in Ukraine’s defense, and the working principles and conditions of the Banshee Amazons.

After leaving occupation, I knew I would fight

I had to be at the center of everything that was happening. Whether in the Armed Forces, the Territorial Defense, or somewhere else — that didn’t matter. I understood that if I wasn’t part of the war then, I would regret it deeply later. I knew I could end up as a “200,” but I still wanted to be in the military.

About speaking to the Russians

That day, a group of us girls were walking back after a rally. A group of armed soldiers was guarding the TV tower across from the detention center, where they had set up a torture site. They stopped us and said things like, “Coffee, tea…” trying to convince us they had come to “save” us. They showed some unhealthy interest in me. I told them: “I’m going to come back and kill you.” They laughed and let us go. I kept thinking that if they found out I was the daughter of an ATO veteran, that would be the end of me. What saved me was that at the time I was still using my husband’s surname.

They wouldn’t take me into units because I was a woman

At first, there were many refusals. Simply because I was a girl. And interestingly, I remember one like that from a woman as well. My father and I came to a brigade to submit my documents. I was wearing a tracksuit, not a dress and heels. A woman around 45 came out to meet me — well-groomed, eyelash extensions, manicure done. I said, “I want to serve.” She looked me up and down and told me I hadn’t come for war, but for money and men. Nobody even looked at my abilities or skills. It was incredibly unfair.

My first combat flight and destroying a tank

There was a damaged Russian tank in the field, and the occupiers were trying to repair something underneath it. At that time, I was flying not yet with my permanent crew, but with a combat-ready team. The commander said: “You need to hit a stationary target.” But first I had to fly over our own positions, then over the Russian ones — and I was worried their electronic warfare systems would bring me down. But I made it through, reached the target, and hit it — the tank burned completely, and through the camera I could see wounded occupiers. It was just wow. That gave me an enormous push forward.

My job is not about visuals or romance — it is about responsibility

Set-up, firmware, opening and closing positions — all of that is part of the work of UAV operators. In fact, the operator is the senior person at the position, and that comes with enormous responsibility. There were moments when I was in the air and a Russian tank started shelling our positions. And you understand what level of responsibility is on you. You cannot lose the aircraft, because you are flying over your own positions. A lot can happen. We entered positions under shelling, conducted search operations. The work of UAV operators is actually very interesting.

One advantage of this work is that psychologically it is easier for me: I don’t hear what is exploding around the occupiers or how much it hurts them. If we talk about the work of a combat medic, it is also hard because that is the pain of my comrade — a person defending the country alongside me.

Lately, we have destroyed a lot of Russian equipment

At first, you count every target you destroy. Later, it becomes part of your daily work. For the past few months, I’ve been flying fiber-optic drones, and we’ve had some very serious kills. For example, around ten Russian military buggies. Now we are focusing more and more on enemy drone crews themselves, because they are the ones interfering with our infantry, artillery, and other units. A pilot is a key force: they can deliver ammunition over long distances and hit targets precisely. So it is more effective to destroy the crew than only the weapon system itself.

I have never killed a person in my life. Never. And I would not advise anyone to do so. But destroying the enemy in order to defend your country from the aggression of the Russian Federation — that is something entirely different.

If you are not on the same level as men — or even better — nothing will work

In probably every unit, you have to prove to men that, as a woman, you can fight and endure harsh conditions of service. Even when I already had many confirmed destroyed targets, I still had to prove that I could take a hit, that I could work under pressure.

When I returned after being wounded, when I showed that I had not run away but kept working, the men saw that I could master fear and emotions and carry out a combat task precisely. That is something you can prove only through work and professionalism.

My injury did not break me — it made me angry

It happened on August 4, 2024, in Karlivka, in the Donetsk region, Pokrovsk district. An enemy FPV drone strike. Summer. Heat. Exhaustion. It was my twentieth day on the position. A drone flew in and tore through us. I saw the flash. Then blood in my eyes. That was it. I shouted to the guys: “Incoming! I’m a three-hundred!” My entire face and body were full of shrapnel, plus concussion and hearing loss.

“The face of a not-so-feminine war”

After being wounded, I knew immediately that my path in the military would continue. By the fourth day, I already wanted to go back to combat missions. I was out of service for seven months. I went through rehabilitation in Dnipro, Kyiv, and Lviv. Many ear surgeries — so now I use hearing aids. Facial reconstruction, cosmetic procedures, scar removal. In the first days in the hospital, I took a photo of myself and posted it on social media with the caption: “The face of a not-so-feminine war.” Those words just came from somewhere deep inside me.

Psychologically, it was very hard. You wake up, and in the mirror, instead of a sweet pretty girl with a beautiful face, you see… what you see. Now, when I remember it, it seems to me that I got through it lightly — or at least that is how I try to treat things. But at the time I had thoughts like: you are no longer that attractive, and you are only 23.

Now I’m writing a book — about my personal view of war and women at war

I’ve been giving it time for about five months now. Certain fragments just come on their own. The book is about my combat path and the way I live through it. But it doesn’t begin in 2022. I remember different stories in different time blocks. I want to tell how I was formed, how I went from civilian Yana to becoming a “banshee” — so that when the reader enters the book, they can live through it with me.
*A banshee is a mythical being from Irish and Scottish folklore, a woman who heralds death.

Attitudes toward women in the military have changed a lot

Women have become more visible. They now hold key positions, lead combat groups, units, and battalions. State-issued uniforms for women, body armor — all of this should have existed long ago, because women have always been in the military. We are moving forward slowly, but confidently.

I dream of taking off my armor and never putting it on again

I’m not an army person. But I will stay here until I see victory — or return home on a shield. I dream of seeing victory with my own eyes, of being рядом with my daughter instead of talking by video and voice messages. I want to put on a dress, walk through Ukrainian cities without sirens and missile threats. I want to live a normal civilian life.

For me, the VETERANKA Movement is about “our own people”

It’s about women who have been through war and are now walking this difficult path. Here, we catch each other when one of us is falling. Nothing needs to be explained — there is understanding here, support, and the strength of sisterhood. To be part of this community means feeling that you are not alone. It is about mutual support, trust, and the ability to remain yourself — not only a soldier or a commander, but a living human being. A woman. We came together for ourselves, for our units, and for the country. Here, we are all equal. I’m very happy to be part of the Movement. For me, it is an honor.

Yana knows what it means to be the only woman in a unit. That is exactly why she is building a platoon of “our own.” A place where women become support for one another, and where the strength of sisterhood lies in daily care and mutual understanding.

A unit where women can truly feel okay

During my rehabilitation, the idea came to me to create an all-women crew. Then came the routine of combat service, my transfer to the 141st Brigade, and the opening of a fiber-optic division. We got the position running and put combat crews on the rails.

And then the brigade commander called me in and said: “Let’s create a unit where women can feel максимально okay.” I immediately said that it was a great idea. And he answered: “Then now it’s your task.”

To feel comfortable in service and give yourself fully to the work

I have been mocked so many times for having a manicure or wearing lipstick. I immediately told the girls: you can do this, and you should. You are women, and I do not want you to lose your femininity here. You should feel comfortable while serving. But you also have to give yourselves fully to the work, because the result depends on every person’s contribution.

I want to shape a normal perception of women in the security and defense sector. Too often, women are denied deserved awards, ranks, professional growth, and opportunities. But in order to overcome that, it is also important to become professional operators and destroy enemy targets.

The name “Banshee Amazons” means death for the enemy

It is the spirit of inevitability and a messenger of death that takes the enemy’s soul. And that is exactly what a kamikaze drone is — the sound the occupier hears in the last second of his life.

For example, we already have one girl who is 18 years old. When I came into the military, I was 21, and I remember how terrifying it was. But she is going straight into a combat role. So I want these girls to feel not fear, but the support of sisterhood. Here, they will be taught, understood, and supported. Women will be able to work either in an all-female crew or in a mixed one — by their own choice.

The Banshee Amazons platoon will consist of 25–30 women. Although the main age range is 25 to 45, the commander does not set strict limits. The unit already includes an 18-year-old and a woman who is 51. Yana says the main thing is desire and motivation. At the moment, the platoon is carrying out combat missions in Dnipropetrovsk region.

Yana “Multyk” is waiting for those who have long dreamed of joining the military but hesitate because of fear of the unknown, as well as those who want to change their area of service, move from a rear position into a combat role, and fully realize their potential.

The unit is being formed as a full-fledged combat element with clearly defined tasks: reconnaissance, adjustment, detection and strike against enemy forces, delivering supplies to infantry, and more. This is work with advanced UAVs, strike FPV drones, and bomber systems.

For civilians, it all begins with basic military training. Professional training lasts from three to six weeks, depending on individual progress and how quickly the material is absorbed. Immediately after training comes real practice.

“The math of war is simple: either we destroy them, or they destroy us.”

Women who make it through the full training show very strong results. They are attentive to detail, focused, and often more precise in their work.

I want them to demonstrate real professionalism. I want them to absorb as much knowledge and as many skills as possible from our instructors — and then become the standard others look up to.

I personally get to know every woman who joins. If I see that a person has skills and is ready to sharpen them, to keep learning — nothing stands in the way of her professional growth.

I am demanding and quite strict in training and in service. Not because of my personality, but because I am responsible for the people I lead. The math of war is simple: either we destroy them, or they destroy us. There is no third option.

Conditions of service in the women’s platoon “Banshee Amazons”

Official side:

• 18–24 month contract
• full social package of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
• professional training for UAV operators
• the option to serve in an all-women crew or a mixed crew, by choice
• assistance with transfer for women service members who want to move from another unit

Everyday life and service conditions:

• work on creating comfortable accommodation for women
• psychological support
• support from command without pressure or humiliation
• healthy communication standards and respectful behavior within the team

To join the “Banshee Amazons,” fill out the application form at the link:

For civilians;
For military personnel.

Contact phone number: +380 93 381 90 28