When the air raid siren bellowed in the dead of night, the women in arms rushed to duty.
Barely two months since joining the mobile air-defense unit, 27-year-old Angelina has perfected the drill to a tee: Combat gear fitted, anti-aircraft machine gun in place, she cruised this August night behind the wheel of a pickup, singing along to a Ukrainian song about rebellion.
The rest unfolded in seconds: Under a tree-lined position near Kyiv’s Bucha suburb, she and her five-woman unit mounted the gun, checked the salvo and waited.
The chirp of crickets filled the silence until the Russian-launched Shahed drone was shot down, this time by a nearby unit — another menace to near daily life in Ukraine eliminated.
To shoot down a drone brings her joy.
“"This means that I can make at least some small contribution to ensure that my mother sleeps peacefully," said Angelina, who like other women in the unit spoke to The Associated Press on condition only their first names be used, in keeping with military policy.
Women are increasingly joining volunteer mobile units responsible for shooting down Russian drones that terrorize Ukrainian civilians and energy infrastructure as more men are sent east to the front line.
While women make up a very small fraction of the country’s armed forces, their service is vital.
With tens of thousands of men reportedly recruited every month, women have stepped up as crucial operations from coal mines to territorial defense forces increasingly accept women to fulfil traditionally male roles.
At least 70 women have been recruited into the Bucha defense forces in recent months to man anti-drone operations, the area’s territorial defence commander, Col. Andrii Velarty, said.
It’s part of a nationwide drive to attract part-time female volunteers to fill the ranks of local defence units.
They come from all walks of life — stay-at-home mums to doctors like Angelina — and call themselves the “Witches of Bucha," a nod to their role of keeping watch over the night skies for Russian drones.
Angelina spotted a sign calling for female recruits on a highway while driving in June with her friend Olena, also a doctor. Both enlisted that same day.
There is no escape from the war for both women.
Their boyfriends are soldiers, and Angelina, an anesthesiologist, met hers at the hospital where he was recovering from a combat wound to his foot.
Seeing the numbers of wounded Ukrainian soldiers was one reason she decided to volunteer.
“We fight here at work, and in fact, when we beat down the Shaheds, we also fight for life so that we continue to live under a peaceful sky."
#nato #russiaukrainewar #russiaukraineconflict #russianews #indiatoday
Subscribe to India Today for NEW VIDEOS EVERY DAY and make sure to enable Push Notifications so you’ll never miss a new video.
All you need to do is PRESS THE BELL ICON next to the Subscribe button!
India Today TV is India’s leading English News Channel. India Today YouTube channel offers latest news videos on Politics, Business, Cricket, Bollywood, Lifestyle, Auto, Technology, Travel, Entertainment and a lot more.
Stay tuned for latest updates and in-depth analysis of news from India and around the world!
WhatsApp Channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va2AnW3JENxxg7OuJv00
Download App: https://indiatoday.link/wHaj
Follow us: Official website: https://www.indiatoday.in/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/IndiaToday
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IndiaToday
