Ukrainian Women on the Front Lines

Ukrainian Women on the Front Lines
8/31/2022 by Jessica Neuwirth
The way forward in Ukraine—and elsewhere—is through people power.


A woman walks past a damaged administrative building in the center of Kharkiv after a Russian rocket in Ukraine on Aug. 29, 2022. (Stringer / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Only a few months ago, it seemed Afghanistan was turning back the clock, some 20 years after the previous Taliban regime barred girls from school and women from work. Yet something had changed in those two decades: A generation of post-Taliban girls and young women had grown into a movement. We see it in impressive Afghan women leaders now in exile—former government ministers, ambassadors, businesswomen, scholars, members of parliament and civil society advocates—working nonstop through the trauma of displacement to fight for Afghan women. Inside the country, women are marching in the streets at tremendous risk to their safety. Afghan girls are protesting, furious at being forbidden to attend school and pursue career aspirations. Even Afghan boys are speaking out in support of a girl’s right to education.

Then, abruptly, news of Afghanistan was wiped off the media map by Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. Now war crimes and crimes against humanity fill the news, political dialogue seems hopeless and 7 million refugees—approximately 90 percent or more of whom are women and children—have fled across the borders into Europe. Still, like in Afghanistan, resistance blossoms in Ukraine from a generation that’s enjoyed relative freedom and democracy. The miscalculation of Vladimir Putin, who seems to have assumed Ukrainians would welcome his armed attack, has led to more unity, a refusal to surrender the independence now permeating their national consciousness. Ordinary people, some women—making up an estimated 15 percent of Ukraine’s army—as well as men, have taken up arms, and the invincible Goliath has been resisted to an extent that seemed impossible to imagine.

Tragically, however, it’s rarely long in any armed conflict before we learn of the horrific sexual violence inflicted on women and girls. So stories have emerged from inside Ukraine of rape by Russian soldiers—often followed by murder. And outside Ukraine, although many countries are welcoming the refugees with needed relief, dangers await. Stories abound of Ukrainian girls and women being trafficked into the sex trade, lured in by men promising shelter and safety from the conflict. In the confused chaos at train and bus depots, exploiters can easily merge with crowds of well-meaning, legitimate aid workers and volunteers.

. . . . .

In the teeth of war, it’s hopeful to see people rising up, even in Russia, where some face arrest to publicly oppose the invasion. We watched as Marina Ovsyannikova, an editor at Russian state television network Channel One, unfurled a banner live on air proclaiming “NO WAR” in English and “DON’T BELIEVE PROPAGANDA. THEY ARE LYING TO YOU” in Russian, in an attempt to let millions of Russian citizens watching know the truth. In a prerecorded video she said, “It is only in our power to stop this madness. Take to the streets. Do not be afraid. They can’t jail us all.”

Канада внесла в санкционный список Екатерину Андрееву. pic.twitter.com/CUPlZgxc97
— Marina Ovsyannikova (@newslady19) July 8, 2022

These growing demonstrations feel new, as does mounting expectation of accountability for war crimes and crimes against humanity. The International Criminal Court has launched an investigation, and we can hope justice will prevail. The way forward is through people power, and women are leading the charge.

https://msmagazine.com/2022/08/31/ukraine-women/