In April, Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces announced the creation of the Harpies, a unit centered on women operating drones and robotic combat systems. While the unit includes men, Ukrainian military officials said the final strike, piloting the unmanned systems that deliver lethal effects, will be carried out exclusively by women.

As the war approaches its fifth year, manpower shortages and operational strain are pushing Ukrainian women into roles across both frontline volunteer networks and the armed forces, filling gaps in humanitarian logistics and combat units alike.

Ukraine’s military leadership noted in a press statement that more than 70,000 women were serving as of January, including roughly 5,500 in combat roles. While that represents only about 8% of total force strength, the number has risen by roughly 40% since 2021, according to Oksana Hryhorieva, the military’s gender adviser, who told NPR that women now serve across nearly all specialties, including while pregnant.

That shift is increasingly visible on the battlefield itself. In the Zaporizhzhia sector, Ukraine’s National Guard recently deployed its first all-female FPV drone strike crew, a unit that drives its own vehicles, builds its own munitions and conducts live attack missions without male personnel.

According to the Washington Post, after the unit’s first confirmed strike destroyed a........

© Forbes