The international delegation, headed by Ana Lucía Bueno, ICRC Public Health Coordinator, and Sujit Panda, Head of the Physical Rehabilitation…
Ella Tymoshenko, a driver-electrician of the 115th Territorial Defense Brigade of the AFU, signed a contract a year ago and has been serving in the military ever since.
The Territorial Defense Forces reported her story.
Until recently, Ella’s mornings began with the aroma of fresh coffee — together with her brother, she ran her own coffee shop. Today, her mornings start with equipment checks and deployments.
A year ago, Ella and her brother decided to close the business and go defend the country. Her brother serves in the 93rd Mechanized Brigade, while Ella serves in the Territorial Defense Forces.
After training at a training center, Ella realized that the female face of war is becoming increasingly visible.
“At basic military training, every fourth person was a girl. Some were very young, 18–20 years old, and some were experienced soldiers who came for a new specialty”, — Ella says.
Despite her delicate appearance, Ella feels confident at the training ground and in formation.
“Weapons are a thrill. I love shooting”, — she says.
She has a firm and honest position on service: women have a place in the army and perform no worse than men. At the same time, she has high expectations of the “stronger sex”:
“Men must be men — responsible and courageous. You need to understand that it’s hard for everyone, but everyone has to be in their place. There’s nothing for spineless people to do here”.
At home, Ella is awaited by her 10-year-old son and 3-year-old daughter. Separation from them is the sharpest pain, one that cannot be eased even by daily video calls. Ella’s mother says, “Children need their mother”, and Ella agrees. But it is precisely for them that she is here.
“My main motivation is that my children will never see war again”, — she says.
Ella raises them in modesty: for her son and daughter, she is simply mom, without excessive pathos about “heroism”.
Ella has almost no true friends left in civilian life — they have been replaced by her brothers- and sisters-in-arms, people she can turn to for any help or support.
