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\u201cSend one more,\u201d Tesla ordered over a voice note, giving the command to her soldiers to fire again. \u201cWhen you finish, inform me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shortly after a Russian assault began in October, overwhelming Ukrainian lines, 24 of her soldiers trained in artillery were ordered to reinforce the infantry troops, which are always situated closest to Russian lines. Tesla spoke to them before they deployed, feeling helpless.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe worst thing is that I instructed them on completely different things in artillery, and then they get sent to the infantry,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd, imagine, they\u2019re standing there looking at you as their commander, knowing that they will be sent into the worst possible situation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of the 24 sent forward, 15 were wounded, Tesla said, and one was captured in the fighting. The incident stayed on Tesla\u2019s conscience, but she kept her worries to herself. Her mother still did not know that Tesla was leading an artillery battery, thinking her daughter was working as an instructor at an academy, a safe distance from the front.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Until 2018, women were prohibited from holding combat positions in the Ukrainian military, though a few ignored the rules. Restrictions have been relaxed since Russia\u2019s invasion. The enlistment of thousands more female service members in the military has largely been seen as a welcome step for the country, whose bids to join NATO and the European Union are still under review.<\/p>\n
The downside is that the military has not been able to adapt quickly enough to accommodate them. Female soldiers say there is still a dire lack of women\u2019s fatigues and boots, correctly fitted body armor, and feminine hygiene products. That leaves women to acquire many items on their own.<\/p>\n
As a result, organizations like Veteranka and Zemliachky have helped fill the gap by raising money to provide items tailored to women.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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But the problems go deeper, into issues of gender-based inequality and discrimination.<\/p>\n
Many women serving in combat roles said that male soldiers and direct superiors largely did not discriminate by gender \u2014 though there are still sexual innuendoes and inappropriate comments.<\/p>\n
Rather, it is senior commanders, often holdovers from the Soviet-era, who look down on women in the military, especially those in combat roles. In some cases, women are choosing to join newly formed brigades with younger, more dynamic commanders.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t want to join a brigade that was established many years ago because I knew they wouldn\u2019t listen to me as a young officer, and as a woman,\u201d Tesla said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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In one instance, a brigade commander was so incensed by a woman commanding an artillery battery that he belittled her directly. \u201cYou will be crawling back to me on your knees begging to leave when you realize the job is too difficult, and I won\u2019t allow you to leave your post,\u201d she recalled him saying, requesting anonymity to speak frankly about a sensitive subject.<\/p>\n
Claims of sexual harassment have also surfaced. According to some women, there have been no official channels for reporting harassment other than to battalion commanders, who then have to decide whether to follow up. In some cases, female soldiers said, witnesses may decline to testify for fear of repercussions.<\/p>\n
Those impediments, as well as the potential for hurting their military careers, discourage women from reporting harassment, female soldiers said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Diana Davitian, a spokeswoman for the Defense Ministry, said that on Jan. 1, the military launched a hotline where soldiers can report sexual harassment. The reports would be investigated, she said, and measures would be taken if the accusations were found to be true.<\/p>\n
The ministry also said it planned to create a separate unit dedicated to ensuring gender equality and providing educational programs, including one focused on combating sexual violence related to the war.<\/p>\n
Back in the basement, Tesla took a call from the command post: It was time to fire. The team scrambled into a partly covered yard a few feet away where a mortar barrel was readied.<\/p>\n
A silence descended as Kuzya, 20, a senior gunner with the mortar platoon, looked through the scope and read out the coordinates on her phone. \u201cFire!\u201d someone called out. Several more rounds were sent off before the team scrambled back into the basement, awaiting a potential return from the Russians.<\/p>\n
Only months earlier, Kuzya\u2019s boyfriend was killed in the fighting. She and Witch, who has a 7-year-old son she has barely seen in the past year, seemed to find solace in each other\u2019s company. The two women trained in the same judo club in Kyiv, the capital, and the day after the invasion, they went to the enlistment office together to sign up.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n