“Fight and you shall win”, the stories of women on the front lines in Ukraine

Tetiana is a volunteer in a center to care for soldiers ukrainians wounded in Siversk, in the east of the country, ten kilometers from the front. She comes to her shift with her cheeks covered in glitter as she also works as a children’s speech therapist.

Twenty minutes before starting his work, he gave an online course in speech therapy.

“That’s why I still have glitter on my face”, the young woman explained to AFP, who says that in the “real life” works as a teacher and speech therapist.

But in the other facet of his life, marked by Russia’s war against Ukraine, he wears a Red Cross uniform red jacket and belongs to a brigade that goes by ambulance to look for wounded soldiers and stabilizes them before transporting them to centers of treatment.

If the soldiers have minor injuries, they are treated on the spot. But if they are serious, they must be transferred to larger cities, such as Kramatorsk, in the east, or Dnipro, in the south.

At the front, each unit has its own first aid center where there are civilian doctors, anesthetists, surgeons and volunteer nurses.

Since the invasion, many women have joined these organizations.

“I have basic knowledge that is useful for stabilizing patients and transporting them”Tetiana explained.

“Maybe I’m not brave enough to join the army, but I’m doing my best to get us a little closer to victory”he added.

Your message on International Women’s Day: “Fight and you shall win.”

“Our women are strong”

In the kitchen of a stabilization center of another unit north of Siversk, eight kilometers from the front line, Yulia, 39, and her sister Lylia, 30, complete the files with the treatments.

Yulia is a pediatrician and is the director of the center, her younger sister is a surgeon. Both volunteered in March 2022, a few days after the start of the Russian invasion.

“We deal with daily care, mainly for patients who were close to recovery,” explained Yulia, who is dressed in a camouflage uniform.

“We moved a lot depending on the front, we changed places with our unit and now we are in a quite dangerous area, as you can see and hear. We have been in this region for two months”added the director of the center.

In the village, where there are few civilians, the shots of the Ukrainian artillery can be heard and further away, on the front line, the powerful thuds of the Moscow forces, trying to take the town of Fedorivka, north of Soledar .

At the entrance to the town, there is an anti-aircraft gun, ready to be activated if Russian drones enter the area.

“The hardest moments are when we see dead soldiers (…) Our job is not only to help the wounded, but also to examine and take the corpses to the morgue”he explained.

Lylia’s partner is a soldier and Yulia’s husband is too, but since June 2 he was reported missing at the front.

“We hope he is a prisoner” his wife said, containing her emotions.

“We know that our Ukrainian women are strong and beautiful. It is thanks to her strength and beauty, and of course, to our men that we continue to live.”he added.

Source: AFP