Weltschau

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“I don’t eat bread. Not at all. I can eat some flatbread, for example, but bread is not for me yet,” says the woman sitting across the table, who delicately breaks off a piece of the hot flatbread that the café waitress has brought her. We’re discussing the war, her losses, and her feat. Of course, she insists there is no heroism in her actions; she’s simply doing what she believes is right.

Svitlana Vorova hails from Odesa. She has spent her entire career working for the railway, but she has also been active in the public sector, advocating for employees’ rights and supporting their families. In 2014, when Ukraine was attacked by the Russian Federation, her eldest son, Oleksandr, volunteered to defend his homeland. Svitlana says he couldn’t stand idly by; she didn’t raise him to be indifferent. Less than a year later, Oleksandr was killed. Many in the town still recall his funeral in the winter of 2015. Svitlana requested the coffin be opened, and the onlookers were horrified: Russian military personnel had desecrated her son’s lifeless body. Many found it hard to believe such barbarity could occur in the twenty-first century. But it was true. Back then, Svitlana made a vow to herself to raise her two younger children and carry on her eldest son’s work. In 2020, she joined the Ukrainian Armed Forces. She encountered the full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022, in Mariupol, which she defended together with other men and women until May. She mentions that, alongside her combat duties, she volunteered to bake bread for the soldiers. Food was very scarce, so they resorted to baking flatbread.

“I was most excited when the guys found yeast somewhere in Azovstal.” It made the flatbreads fluffy.” It was such an amazing experience: blasts would never stop, wounded people were moaning, we were losing someone every second, and we were ready to die, too. Yet, at the very same time, my bread was rising right there under clean towels. It’s a miracle,” she recalls.

After reassurances from the international community that the defenders of Mariupol would be returned home, Svitlana and her brothers and sisters in arms followed the command order and laid down their arms. However, instead of being exchanged, the prisoners of war were sent to Russian prisons. “There, women and men were tortured, beaten, humiliated, and starved.

“But I could not give up. I have a goal—to continue my son’s work,” she says.

So, after spending almost a year in Russian prisons, Svitlana returned to the army after the POW swap. She says she cannot do otherwise. She has two adult children and five grandchildren waiting for her at home. Her biggest fear is that her grandchildren will have to fight and not have enough bread to eat. That’s why she is fighting for as long as she can—so that they won’t have to.

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Alina, a police officer from Odesa, holds a medical degree and has dedicated many years to her profession. In 2019, she was called up to join the Storm Special Forces unit. She witnessed the outbreak of full-scale war in Mariupol and later served in Bakhmut, one of the most intense areas of Ukrainian defence.

“It was 5 a.m. on February 24th when the explosions started. It was terrifying. I was stationed at a checkpoint, and the first blast hit near our post. My colleagues and I rushed to the trench. We stayed there for two hours; the explosions seemed relentless,” she recalls.

Following their time in Mariupol, Alina and her unit were relocated to Bakhmut. She explains that the physical strain of digging trenches and wearing military gear weighing over 20 kilograms takes its toll. But the hardest part was witnessing death up close.

“When you see houses crumble from rocket fire, cars engulfed in flames, and civilians suffering, it’s heart-wrenching. As a dog handler who adores dogs, I have experience searching for people under the rubble. I had to do it on the front line too many times. Seeing death is the worst aspect of war. When lives are at risk, physical exhaustion becomes secondary. You muster your strength and rush to protect and aid others, regardless of your own needs, even if you haven’t slept or eaten,” she reflects.

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A street in Mariupol has been named after Inna Derusova. Although the city is currently under Russian military occupation, when Ukraine liberates it, adults and children will stroll along this street, filled with laughter, sometimes tears, and undoubtedly memories of Inna. She was the first woman to be awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine.

Inna served as a combat medic, mobilising for the Armed Forces in 2015. She undertook combat missions in Zolote, Avdiivka, Pisky, and other hotspots alongside her fellow soldiers. On February 24, 2022, amidst the eruption of a full-scale war, she was returning to her duty station from leave. However, she found herself delayed for two days in Okhtyrka, in northern Ukraine. The occupiers’ devastating attacks on the peaceful city wounded many people, and Inna Derusova stayed with them to the very end. Risking her life, the brave combat medic saved over ten soldiers. Tragically, on February 26, Sergeant Derusova was fatally wounded while aiding a wounded man under enemy fire.

“She was an exceptional mentor to medics. In just two weeks, she transformed confused young women into competent combat medics, ready to face frontline duties. She also took immense pride in her son, who had served in the Armed Forces since 2016. Shortly before her passing, her son got married. She was overjoyed, dreaming of seeing her grandchildren. Yet, she sacrificed her life to save others,” recounts her fellow brother-in-arms. 

*** 

Andriana Arekhta-Susak is the leader of the Women’s Veterans Movement and holds the rank of sergeant in the Ukrainian Special Operations Forces. She was among those liberating the Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Kherson regions. At the end of 2022, she sustained serious injuries from a mine explosion. Initially, Russian media falsely reported her death, but Andriana’s life was saved through the efforts of doctors at multiple hospitals, including one in Odesa. Despite enduring dozens of surgeries, unrelenting pain, and fatigue from physical suffering, along with copious amounts of antibiotics and medication, Andriana remained unbroken. Mobilised into the Armed Forces in 2014, she fought in the Russian-Ukrainian war as part of an assault troop and later founded the Women’s Veterans Movement to champion women’s rights in the military. Reflecting on her early days in service, she recalls being officially registered as a “seamstress” due to the restriction on women serving in combat roles in Ukraine. However, a significant shift has since occurred, with no longer any military professions barred to women. Andriana regards this as one of her primary achievements.

Her biography holds a unique feature: her grandmother’s brother was a soldier in the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, which resisted Russian invaders in the 1940s. Consequently, Andriana’s grandmother was exiled to Siberia by the Russian authorities. Through this familial legacy, Andriana understands all too well the insidiousness of Ukraine’s enemy, who has sought to undermine Ukrainian statehood for centuries.

In late 2023, after undergoing rehabilitation for her injury, Andriana travelled to the United States as part of a Ukrainian delegation.

If the Ukrainian army runs out of soldiers, who will defend the stability of Europe? Who will defend democracy and freedom? The world is heading towards the point where, if we are not supported by weapons, American troops and Western NATO troops will fight against aggressor countries. Ukraine is weary of war, but we must take a deep breath and brace ourselves to persevere,” she said in an interview.

Andriana admits she’d never envisioned becoming a soldier before Russia attacked Ukraine. She promoted cosmetic brands, enjoyed visits to beauty salons, and had a keen interest in skincare product ingredients. But the war changed everything, so now she is defending her country and says there is no place for getting tired. However, she admits that almost none of her brothers-in-arms, with whom she started her combat journey a decade ago, survived until now.

***

In late 2021, as Western nations were already cautioning Ukraine about a potential full-scale Russian invasion, a prominent Odesa doctor, Svitlana Halych, Professor of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, persistently knocked on the doors of military registration and enlistment offices to enlist. She was turned away and told that the country was tranquil and her assistance was unnecessary; she was a retired military officer (in Ukraine, military personnel retire at 45 after 25 years of service), so it was suggested that she could have her rest. Yet she refused to be deterred.

“I’m a doctor, thus liable for military service, yet I was dismissed due to my age, told that that was it—my country had no need for me. So, I can bring babies into the world, but I can’t save the lives of those I helped to be born? I vehemently disagree,” she asserts.

Just a few months later, on February 24, 2022, everything changed. With Ukraine facing a formidable enemy force, greatly outnumbered in military strength and weaponry, every defender was cherished. So, Svitlana found herself working in a military hospital.

“For over thirty years, being at the forefront of life, steadfast in my resolve to save lives, has become more than just a profession; it’s the essence of my existence. Those babies who give such a hard time to their mothers during childbirth, whom we ‘bring into the world’ together… are now falling victim to the enemy. So, I felt an overwhelming urge to prevent this by any means possible. And the only “weapon” at my disposal was medical care,” she reflects.

“Our team of military medics has a striking resemblance to the midwifery teams. Operating swiftly, precisely, and in synchrony is standard in delivering the medical aid I’m accustomed to. For instance, controlling bleeding is pivotal across all medical professions. Obstetric teams undergo specialised training to respond swiftly and professionally. Drawing from my civilian experience evacuating critically ill women as the Chief ObGyn in Odesa Oblast, I realised that timely evacuation is also crucial here, though not for women but for wounded soldiers. Of course, the conditions are more challenging. I’m considering writing about how my civilian obstetric practice prepared me for military field medicine someday. For now, I simply carry out my duties—saving our wounded,” Svitlana concludes.

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As of January 2024, 45,587 female servicewomen are serving in the Ukrainian army. 13,487 women have the status of combatants. As of 2024, the total number of women working and serving in the Armed Forces is more than 62,000.

Yevheniia Henova, Odesa