August M
As Ukraine’s losses grow, women are moving into FPV drone units once dominated by men, Ziare.com reports, taking on high-risk roles after short, intense training.
Across Ukraine’s front, a new shift is quietly reshaping the battlefield. As casualties grow and manpower thins, more women are entering some of the war’s most exposed positions — not in support roles, but as FPV drone operators tasked with steering explosive devices into Russian positions.
Trainers say interest is rising fast, and waiting lists grow every month, according to reporting from The Guardian and Ziare.com.
Growing necessity
Instructors told Ziare.com that “several dozen” women are now operating drones or preparing to do so, though no official numbers exist.
Training lasts around 15 days — the most the war’s pace allows before recruits are thrust into missions where a single mistake can cost lives.
For many, the shift is driven not by ambition but by absence.
Dasha, once a volunteer, said she turned to drones as men from her region were drafted or didn’t return.
“It wasn’t about how prepared I was. It was about the fact that there were fewer and fewer men,” she told Ziare.com.
Today she commands a mixed unit near the eastern front. “It’s not about what we women demonstrate. It’s about necessity. Everyone is stretched to the limit. Everyone adapts.”
Skill over identity
Another operator, Elisabeta, began training after months of shelling in 2022. She recalled early casualties among new recruits and the rapid shift in priorities. “It didn’t matter who was a woman or not. It mattered who could fly,” she said.
She described the emotional toll: long hours in improvised shelters, skies filled with hostile drones, and the knowledge that each mission could end a life — or cost someone close to her theirs.
A hunted role
Ilona joined a civilian-access drone school after bombings became routine in her city. She initially doubted she belonged. “I thought drones were for professionals… Not for me,” she said.
The training center relocates frequently after several strikes, a reminder of the risks. “You understand very quickly that drone operators are being hunted,” she said. Yet demand keeps rising. “So many men my age have already left. Someone has to take their place.”
Sources: Ziarre.com- The guardian
