Women in Ukraine’s military are taking on more combat and tech-driven roles, especially as drone warfare expands and reshapes the battlefield.
Image Source: army.mil
Women in Ukraine’s military are taking on more combat and tech-driven roles, especially as drone warfare expands and reshapes the battlefield.
When Russia launched its full-scale invasion nearly four years ago, a 26-year-old Ukrainian soldier known by her call sign Monka felt there was no combat role that suited her. But as the war evolved and technology changed how battles were fought, she discovered new opportunities.
Last year, she enlisted as a pilot of short-range first-person-view (FPV) drones. She left her restaurant-management job abroad, returned to Ukraine, and decided to serve.
Her decision reflects a broader shift: more women are taking up combat positions in Ukraine’s armed forces as modern warfare increasingly depends on advanced technology, military leaders say.
“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, who works with the Unmanned Systems Battalion under the Third Army Corps. Like others, she used only her call sign in line with military rules.
By 2025, more than 70,000 women were serving in Ukraine’s military — a 20% jump since 2022 — and over 5,500 of them were deployed on the front line, according to the Defense Ministry.
Several units have begun recruitment campaigns that target women, signaling Kyiv’s intention to strengthen the army even as peace talks consider a possible limit on future troop levels.
Leaders in Kyiv — and many soldiers like Monka — view the military as one of Ukraine’s strongest defenses against Russia.
“We need everyone — engineers, pilots, IT specialists, programmers, we simply need brains. It’s not about men or women. We need people who are ready to work hard,” she said.
Drone piloting has become one of the most sought-after combat roles among women, officials say.
Imla, a 27-year-old from the Kraken 1654 unit, left her career as a professional hockey player to enlist. At first, she planned to work as a combat medic. She spent six months in a platoon medical unit, but the job required her to learn drone skills. She began with small drones, graduated to heavier models that drop bombs, and later shifted fully to drone operations.
She still remembers her first reconnaissance flight vividly. When the controller was handed to her, her hands trembled from stress.
“To be honest, I even wanted to cry in some moments,” she recalled. “But then, over time, you build up experience on the job and start feeling confident.”
The Khartiia Corps has also increased its number of female soldiers, reporting a 20% rise since 2024. About six months ago, it launched a women-focused recruitment drive for combat and tech jobs alongside the Dignitas Foundation, a group that supports innovation and civic development.
“In recent months, dozens of women have joined us in combat roles and are working successfully,” said public affairs officer Volodymyr Dehtyarov. “The more technology we have, like drones, the more historically male professions open up.”
To support this shift, Khartiia trains officers and future commanders to lead mixed units with people of diverse genders, ages, and backgrounds — a practice Dehtyarov says strengthens leadership.
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Despite progress, the army remains deeply traditional, and some units make it difficult for women to advance.
A soldier known as Yaha, now 25, enlisted in 2023. Initially, she handled office work. Three months later, she asked to join drone-training courses. Instead of encouragement, she was told she could work in the kitchen.
“It was unpleasant for me, because I didn’t expect such uncomfortable conditions, such strict limitations,” she said.
Working in the kitchen did not stop her. She spent her spare hours reading drone manuals, practicing on simulators, and training in gaming clubs using a controller she bought herself.
“I liked that you could strike the enemy remotely,” she said. “So I thought this was our future.”
Her persistence paid off — she eventually joined the 9th Brigade as a bomber-drone pilot.
“War is not cool or glamorous. It’s pain, suffering and loss. You just do it because you want to change the situation,” she added. “But you’re not invincible. You’re just a person like everyone else.”
Another young specialist, Chibi, a 20-year-old FPV technician with the Khartiia Brigade, prepares drones in a damp basement near the eastern front. Early on, some soldiers doubted her technical abilities because she was a woman. But one supportive male colleague helped her begin her training. She now prefers the technical side of FPV drones over piloting.
“There needs to be more women in the army,” Chibi said. “The more women there are, the better the attitude toward them will be.”
Olha Meloshyna, spokesperson for Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, says the belief that drone jobs are safer is false because Russian troops actively target drone operators.
Her unit is seeing more women in tech-driven positions — including drone piloting, drone repair, and electronic warfare — as drones become essential for reconnaissance and strikes.
She notes that women make up 4.2% of the Unmanned Systems Forces, a number she considers significant because all of them enlisted by choice.
“We are part of the new Ukrainian army that formed during the invasion. So in terms of gender-based acceptance into the Armed Forces, we have never had any division — what matters to us is desire and motivation,” she said.
The unit is now running a media-heavy recruitment campaign to bring in 15,000 new personnel, including women. Recruiters say applications are coming for both combat and support roles.
“The Unmanned Systems Forces are a system, and it is made up of people — men and women,” Meloshyna said. “No drone is autonomous. It needs human involvement. And the more personnel we have, the more drones will fly toward Russia.”