As of October 2023, almost 43,000 female military personnel served in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Ukraine has one of the highest numbers of women in the armed forces among the armies of the world, including NATO armies. In the past, women mostly served in support roles such as doctors, signalmen or cooks. However, with the start of full-scale hostilities in February 2022, more and more women are taking on combat roles such as driving combat vehicles, operating grenade launchers, machine guns, snipers and UAV operators. Many women also serve as commanders of combat vehicles, units and reconnaissance groups. Lieutenant General Serhii Nayev, commander of the Combined Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, emphasizes: "All of them are united by the fact that they are real Ukrainian women who could not stay at home when their Motherland turned to the whole world with a cry for help. We noticed and felt how, during a year and a half of the large-scale invasion, our women hardened and changed, surpassing, in my opinion, the legendary Amazons."
