Can women solve Ukraine's manpower problem?

Nataliia Lishchyshena suffered a chest injury during her military service in 2022, which doctors later linked to her service and the conditions of military equipment designed without women in mind. A survey conducted with the women's movement Veteranka revealed that about 85% of women in the military experience breast-related issues, including cancer.

Former Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov has proposed that military service should be mandatory for both men and women, arguing that it would double the mobilization pool. However, experts question the practicality of such a measure, as doubling the pool does not necessarily translate to a larger military force.

While the Ukrainian parliament has clarified that mobilizing women is not being considered, U.S. Special Envoy Keith Kellogg believes women should be mobilized into the army, asserting that they fight no worse than men. However, the reality is that only about 55,000 women serve in the military, with the majority holding non-combat roles such as medicine, logistics, and support positions.

Ukrainian forces have made progress in adapting their equipment to accommodate women in the military, but challenges remain. Women-specific body armor was only recently introduced, and a winter uniform for women is still lacking. While some argue that increasing the number of women in combat roles could potentially free up men for front-line positions, experts caution that such a transition would be gradual and require significant changes to staffing structures and training.