Why do we need women in Ukraine’s army?

Many years ago, a veteran Ukrainian soldier told me that he would never take a woman into a combat unit. His argument was something like this: everything a woman can do, a man can do, and a man will almost always be physically stronger and will not cause problems in everyday life, such as the need for one soldier to use the toilet separately from the others. 

However, there is at least one aspect in which boys will never replace girls. This is not related to the ability to bear children but rather to what is essential in times of war. 

So, let's tune in to the positive and read on.

When our unit is at the point of permanent deployment, we run 3 kilometers every morning. Those who are temporarily unable to run for health reasons do other physical activities during this time. Personally, to be honest, I mostly skip these runs, and people turn a blind eye to this, because they know that I run 6-8 km every evening (once I ran 10 km). But in the morning I can't do it, my eyes go dim and the back of my head pins and needles, and the only thought in my head is how to slide down the wall and sleep, even in an upright position.

But sometimes, for moral reasons, I overpower myself and run with everyone else. And I noticed one interesting thing. The guys have different physical conditions. There are professional athletes who immediately run ahead, and then they are out of sight. The first to run are always the same 3-5-10 people. And everyone else stretches into a loose column half the length of the route. And they run as fast as they can. 

So, when I initially joined the group run, it seemed that they hadn't grasped the situation and continued at their regular pace. I ran along with them, finishing somewhere in the lower third, but not the very last (and I'm not a fast runner, you know). Then they 'noticed' me, and that's when it all began.

A fighter may not be young, he may be overweight or have untreated injuries or wounds. But it's a matter of honor for him to overtake me. Literally for everyone. They either give it their all right away, or, on the contrary, save their energy, and towards the end make a breakthrough and overtake me. As a result, the entire battalion - or rather, the part of it that was difficult or lazy - started running much faster. Thus, one woman, who runs slowly to the best of her ability, raises the level of physical fitness of the entire battalion.

The same thing happens in combat, always and everywhere. Well, we are all volunteers, and there are no cowards among us. But in the whole army, of course, there are cowards and indecisive people, of course. But the mere presence of a woman turns them into a Rambo. This is how male psychology works. No best commander can motivate soldiers like an ordinary girl. And if the girl is also small and frail, it's a jackpot.

Source

About the author. Olena Bilozerska, Ukrainian Armed Forces officer, volunteer, blogger.

The editors do not always share the opinions expressed by the blog authors.