Andrii Kolesnyk and Kseniia Drahanyuk both beam with excitement as they crouch over a box.
They are about to unpack Ukraine’s first-ever military uniform for pregnant women, which they recently put into use after a pregnant sniper made contact.
The young couple, both TV journalists before the outbreak of the war, are now fully committed to their independent NGO, ‘Zemlyachki’ or ‘Compatriots’, which buys essential goods for women in the armed forces.
The initiative began when Andrii’s sister was sent to the front on February 24, the day Russia invaded Ukraine.
“She was given a men’s uniform, men’s underwear,” he said. “Everything that (was) designed for men.”
It soon became clear that maids needed much more than uniforms. Everything from smaller boots to lighter plates for body armor to hygiene products is in demand.
So the couple turned to donations from private companies, charities and crowdfunding to buy goods independently of the military. Some tailor-made outfits, such as women’s clothing, are produced under their own brand at a factory in Kharkiv in the east of the country, including the new maternity uniform.
Other items, including body armor, helmets and boots, come from companies as far as Sweden, Macedonia and Turkey. But Kolesnyk and Drahanyuk say they are struggling to purchase winter items such as sleeping bags and thermal clothing that will be important for comfort when winter sets in.
Kolesnyk said they have so far distributed $1 million worth of equipment and helped at least 3,000 women. If they’re firing missiles on the front lines, they might as well do it “with minimal comfort,” he told DailyExpertNews.
According to the country’s defense ministry, there are currently about 38,000 women in the armed forces.
“We’re doing this to help our government,” Kolesnyk said, not to compete with it. Their hub is full of cardboard boxes full of kit, all paid for from crowdfunding and grants.
A physical disability prevents Kolesnyk from joining his sister, father and brother-in-law on the front lines, a fact that saddens him.
“It’s hard for a man to understand that you can’t go there, and your sister is there. So I’m trying to do my best here to help not just my family, but the entire army,” he said.
Twenty-one-year-old Roksolana, who only mentioned her first name for security reasons, comes in to pick up a uniform and other gear before heading off to her next assignment. She graduated from art school, joined the army in March and is now part of an intelligence unit.
“It’s so valuable to have these people who understand that we’re tired of wearing clothes that are three sizes too big,” she said. “We had no helmets, we had old bulletproof vests, we wore tracksuits and sneakers. Now we feel that we are human.”
She giggles as she fastens her new boots with impeccable long fingernails. Before parting ways, Drahanyuk hands Roksolana a copy of “The Choice,” the best-selling memoir by Holocaust survivor and psychologist Edith Eger. The aim is that this can be an aid in processing trauma. Zemlyachki has also partnered with military psychologists who can reach women in combat.
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