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{Tymofiy Mylovanov @Mylovanov | 26 August 2025}
70,000 women now serve in Ukraine’s army, a 20% rise since 2022 - NYT.
Some fight while pregnant — crouching in trenches, and living under bombardment. Many say they serve for their children’s future, and plan to return to duty even after giving birth. 1/
Nadia, 25, worked as a frontline radio operator until 8½ months pregnant. Each morning she brushed plaster from her bed after shelling.
“You’re constantly thinking about your child’s well-being,” she said. She gave birth to a boy in February. 2/
Dr. Vita Marchenko, who delivers babies in Sloviansk, says pregnant soldiers carry “more purpose.”
They remind themselves what they fight for. Olya, the medic, says: “I do everything to protect my child. And I have to stay and help here.” 3/
Olena, a combat medic, tried for months to conceive while rotating off the front. “It finally happened,” she said — but she stayed in her unit. “War is war, but life goes on.” 4/
Olya, 39, discovered her pregnancy last September. As the only medic in her company, she hid it until bleeding sent her to hospital.
She spoke to her unborn baby in the trenches: “I told her we were doing an important task.” In May she gave birth to Iryna. 5/
Some women return to duty quickly.
Valentyna, an infantry mechanic, rejoined her unit when her son was 18 months old, despite commanders telling her to stay home. “I wanted to prove a woman can perform on equal footing with a man,” she said. 6/
Support networks are growing. NGOs like Zemliachky now send maternity uniforms, while Kvitna runs mobile clinics for female soldiers. On one rotation, doctors screened 573 women, five of them pregnant. 7X
Source:
Expecting on the Front Lines: Motherhood in Ukraine’s Military
Pregnant Ukrainian soldiers say they are fighting for the future of their country and for their children.
