The international delegation, headed by Ana Lucía Bueno, ICRC Public Health Coordinator, and Sujit Panda, Head of the Physical Rehabilitation…
They grew up in a priest’s family, where six of the eight children now serve in the military. Today, “Chuma” and “Mavka” fight side by side in the ‘Bureviy’ Brigade — one as the commander of a reconnaissance platoon of the 3rd Operational Purpose Battalion “Hroza,” the other preparing to become a drone operator.
This was reported in a post on the page of the First Presidential Operational Purpose Brigade named after Hetman Petro Doroshenko of the National Guard of Ukraine “Bureviy.”
The older sister, “Chuma”, first joined the National Guard in 2021 — her brother invited her to help in the orchestra. She played the trumpet and dreamed of signing a contract and becoming part of the team, but the full-scale war changed everything.
After the first months of volunteering, in June 2022 “Chuma” signed a contract and became a rifleman in the Honor Guard Battalion, later transferring to an anti-tank artillery battery. She quickly mastered anti-tank missile systems and learned to work with personnel, participating in combat missions in the Sloviansk direction, and from August 2024 — in the Kupiansk area.
Since March 2025, “Chuma” has commanded a grenade launcher squad, and later took command of a reconnaissance platoon of the 3rd Operational Purpose Battalion “Hroza.” She fights and trains others — sharing knowledge in tactical medicine, engineering training, and topography.
“January 2025 was especially memorable for me. During the assault on the responsibility area of the 4th Battalion, we operated the ‘Milara’ artillery system. That day, together with my comrades, we fired about 90 shells at the enemy”, — “Chuma” recalls.
The younger sister, “Mavka”, also dreamed of a military uniform since childhood, but initially enrolled in a music academy. After the start of the full-scale invasion, she volunteered, helped on ‘Army FM,’ and also performed at funeral ceremonies, about five hundred of which took place in one year.
“That really hardened me. I don’t want to bury my comrades — I want to destroy the enemy”, — “Mavka” admits.
In July 2023, she signed a contract and, after serving in communications, transferred to the 1st Operational Purpose Battalion “Forpost.” Today she assists with the unit’s media work, trains herself, and learns to operate FPV drones.
“My motivation is to fight for the generation that will live in a peaceful country. We give our youth so that children no longer know what war is”, — she says.
Together, “Chuma” and “Mavka” prove that the war has not divided them but made them stronger. Their story is an example of the resilience of Ukrainian women, who not only fight but also inspire others.
