Women in the Russian invasion of Ukraine

[20] Globally, woman and girls face a heightened risk during wartime due to displacement and breakdowns of the normal protections in society, and sexual violence has been used as a tactic in war, terror, torture and political repression by many.

"[26] In October 2022, the first all-female prisoner of war exchange occurred between Russia and Ukraine, with 108 Ukrainian women being returned, including 37 who had fought in the Battle of Azovstal.

However, the December 2021 revision of the law regulating Ukraine's military reserves dramatically expanded the number of professions that qualify for mandatory registration with the armed forces.

MP Oleksandra Ustinova stated: "...in [the] current situation, the decision to educate as many people as possible to hold arms and to be ready to serve seems a good one.

[29] In a representative national poll on 3–4 March 2022, 59% of Ukrainian women said they were 'ready to personally participate in the armed resistance to end the Russian occupation of Ukraine.

[9] By mid-March 2022, additional Ukrainian women, after either leaving Ukraine as a refugee or living abroad, had also returned to the country to enlist in the armed forces, or provide support services, such as helping others evacuate.

[32] In the opening days of the invasion, field medic Inna Derusova was said to have saved the lives of more than 10 soldiers during the Battle of Okhtyrka, before she was killed in a Russian artillery attack.

[34] Tetyana Chubar [uk], an artillery platoon commander, gained prominence on the internet after a video of her fighting during the Siege of Chernihiv went viral.

[35] Sarah Ashton-Cirillo is an American who initially worked as a journalist during the invasion before resigning to enlist as a combat medic in the Ukrainian military, later serving as a spokeswoman for the Territorial Defense Forces.

[36] Even before the 2022 invasion started, women and girls living in conflict-affected eastern Ukraine bordering Russia have not felt safe – neither in public nor at home – since the war in Donbas broke out in 2014.

The situation was worsened by devastating social and economic crises, access to weaponry, and trauma created by the ongoing armed conflict between the government of Ukraine and Russia-backed separatists.

[40][41][42] Ukrainian MPs Lesia Vasylenko, Alyona Shkrum, Maria Mezentseva, and Olena Khomenko stated that most elderly women in Russian-occupied cities "were executed after being raped or took their own lives.

[44] Female reproductive healthcare, including pregnancy related services in Ukraine, have faced significant disruption due to the invasion.

Pregnant and breastfeeding women are often unable to access vital prenatal and postnatal services or find places to give birth safely.

[53] Commercial surrogacy is legal in Ukraine with an estimated 2,000 children born each year for foreign parents, with Ukrainians seeing it as a lucrative opportunity as the pay can be more than the countries average annual salary.

Attempts to lessen concerns and violence for refugees have been implemented by making volunteers show identification, document their actions and wear high visibility vests.

[62] International efforts have also been seen, such as the Israeli "With You - Wherever You Go" task force to help and support women and children refugees, with social workers, psychiatrists, psychologists and medical professions who speak Ukrainian sent to border crossings.

[63] Additionally grass root movements such as Women Take the Wheel (Kobiety Za Kółko) were created to transport refugees into mainland Poland.

[67] One refugee who crossed with her children into Romania, told reporters that fake volunteers attempted to force her to travel with them to Switzerland with other women and refused to show identification.

Police are still reluctant to register complaints of survivors of domestic violence and widespread impunity deters many women and other victims from speaking out.

[74][75][76] A partnership between Kyiv Pride and Gay Alliance Ukraine, created a shelter for members of the LGBTQ community to stay and stock up before continuing their flight out of the country.

[78] The invasion has also seen a significant increase in Ukrainian signing up for self-defence classes, particularly motivated by reports of war crimes such as sexual violence, committed by male Russian soldiers against women and girls.

"[92] Maria Silina of the Université du Québec à Montréal has stated that "the overwhelming majority of [anti-war protestors] were women, queer or trans — many of whom were rarely visible as political activists in Russia.

"[93] Women and gender minorities protesting against the war have been targeted with significant brutality by Russian police, including threats of sexual violence.

[98][99][100] In November 2022, Meduza reported the story of the only openly trans woman in the Russian military, who had joined prior to the invasion and was attempting to avoid being sent to the front due to her opposition to the war and the fact that she was dating a Ukrainian man.

[103] In Russia, the invasion has also seen an increase in proposals to limit reproductive rights, particularly due to concerns over the loss of population through deceased soldiers and emigration.

In August 2022, several members of the State Duma announced that they planned to introduce a bill ending public health insurance coverage of abortion.