Woman of War

Preface

Preface

War ... Woman ... It should seem, these two are incompatible manifestations of human existence. War is often believed to have an unwomanly face. Not really! It does have a woman’s face. In most languages it is conventionally regarded as female. The war and the woman are closely intertwined. This concerns women’s rights in the military environment and the gender policy in the armed forces. It is a pressing, relevant, and highly charged problem on the agenda of the present-day global humanitarian space.

In Ukraine, the relationship between war and women has been counting for centuries. Has anyone studied the history of women in the war? Not yet. None special work has been published. However, this history exists and must be written to be preserved.

In the Trypillian epoch, husbandmen of Rus-Ukraine defended their land, with women firmly holding weapons and bringing to men new spears and swords instead of broken ones. At the time of Kyivan Rus, Duchess Olha led her host in the battles to protect the integrity of the state and the strength of Kyiv from pretensions of feudal dukes. In the era of Hetmanate, there were no women in Zaporozhian Sich. However, they were preparing strategic provisions for the Cossacks. Women played a very important role in World Wars I and II. Then they became a real militaryunit bearing arms against enemies and saving lives of soldiers.

In the Ukrainian-Russian war, the woman has taken combat positions boldly declaring herself a volunteer, a doctor, and a soldier. And here an acute problem of equal rights of women and men in the war arose. They have equal rights to death. Consequently, all other rights must be equalized too.

This book is the first attempt to write a page of the history of Ukrainian women in war. These are reflections about how, at the beginning of the 21st century, Ukrainian hero women are defending the independence and integrity of Ukraine and proving their natural right to be a guardian of their Homeland, on a par with men. This is an important step towards levelling the rights of military men and women soldiers.

The book contains 25 stories. Each of them is based on real-life events and tells about real-life people. Their stories have been written in the process and as a result of communication with the Heroines.

The world has not known this kind of stories. This is the Ukrainian encounter experienced in a womanly way. It is full of tragedy and heroism. Ukraine tells about this experience to the world through women, the fighters for the independence and integrity of Ukraine and the guardians of their land, who are ready to render their life for Ukraine at any moment.

Glory to Ukraine! Glory to the Heroes!