“Invisible battalion”: how Ukrainian women secured the right to fight on a par with men
Ukraine (OpenDemocracy) – For four years, Ukrainian civil society has been fighting in the war against Russia. The war effort came from below – and women are playing an active role. The protagonist of Serhiy Zhadan’s poem “The Recruitment Office” doesn’t want to join the army. It’s easy to understand why. Before 2014, the Ukrainian army was a wretched sight, with missiles crashing into apartment buildings and ammunition dumps exploding. Emerging from the ruins of the Soviet empire, this poor, corrupt non-bloc state hadn’t anticipated that it would have to put up much of a defence against…
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