Russia sends women into combat as war losses mount

Russia is increasingly turning to women to sustain its war effort in Ukraine as mounting casualties put further pressure on its military manpower.

An investigation by Polish outlet Vot Tak found female recruits are now being pushed into increasingly dangerous roles, including drone operations, sniping and direct infantry assaults.

Women are being sent into the battlefield

The expansion marks a stark shift from the role traditionally given to women in Russia’s armed forces. Around 40,000 women were serving in the military in early 2022, with most working in medical or administrative positions.

Now recruits are being sent closer to the fighting. Yelizaveta Tsybina, a 24-year-old drone operator, said recruitment campaigns portray military service in patriotic and attractive terms, only for recruits to discover a dramatically different reality.

“They present it all beautifully and patriotically,” she said. “But when you arrive, the situation, the way you are treated and the work itself are completely different.”

Contracts can become a battlefield trap

Tsybina joined after her boyfriend was killed in combat but later found leaving the military was extremely difficult. Defence Ministry contracts can automatically remain in force until the war ends, according to the investigation.

Recruiters have also targeted university students and prison inmates, with some allegedly offered misleading promises about short contracts or early release.

Sofya, a 22-year-old medic who signed up at 19, said she now wants out. “At 22, I have no desire to die because of politicians’ wars,” she said.

Female casualties are climbing

The growing use of women in combat is already carrying a deadly cost. Vot Tak identified at least 50 female service members killed since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Five died in 2022, while the figure rose to 15 in 2025. A further 12 female service members were identified as killed during the first half of 2026.

The youngest identified casualty was 23-year-old Yana Koshkina, who died in a drone strike during an evacuation.

Manpower pressure is reshaping the war

Russia’s expanding reliance on female combatants reflects the immense manpower demands of a war with no clear end in sight.

As battlefield losses continue, roles once largely kept away from direct combat are increasingly being pulled into the fight — exposing more Russian women to the same lethal conditions facing male troops.

Russia sends its women into deadly battlefields as male casualties pile up