JRL NEWSWATCH: “‘If Not Me, Who?’: As Ukraine Seeks Troops, Women Prepare for the Call” – New York Times

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“With so much in the war against Russia hinging on refilling the ranks of soldiers, efforts are underway to draw more Ukrainian women into the army.”

“… [F]ighting in Ukraine has bogged down in vicious battles of attrition along a zigzag [southeastern] front line …. [S]teady suppl[ies] of weapons and personnel are crucial … Ukraine … benefit[s] [from] … Western-donated armaments, [but] … relies on … its own population … [to] replenish[] forces — and Russia’s is about three times as large. … [E]fforts are underway to draw more Ukrainian women into the army … [including] [v]olunteer groups offering all-female training …. About 43,000 women [reportedly] now serve in the Ukrainian military … 40 percent [more than] 2021 … [T]he male fighting force … has more than tripled …. Ukrainian women are … in combat in southeastern Ukraine [already]. … [T]he military abolished restrictions that kept women from roles such as machine gunner, tank commander and sniper, and lifted rules prohibiting women from driving trucks. It raised the age limit for female recruits[] … [from] 40[] to 60 … [as it did for] men. …”

Some women already took combat roles for Ukraine earlier in the time since Russia’s full-scale invasion, serving in paramilitary groups or by skirting rules. Ukrainian women have been killed, wounded or captured, but the Ukrainian military does not release casualty figures generally.

Click here for: “‘If Not Me, Who?’: As Ukraine Seeks Troops, Women Prepare for the Call; With so much in the war against Russia hinging on refilling the ranks of soldiers, efforts are underway to draw more Ukrainian women into the army.” – New York Times/ Andrew E. Kramer, Maria Varenikova