The international delegation, headed by Ana Lucía Bueno, ICRC Public Health Coordinator, and Sujit Panda, Head of the Physical Rehabilitation…
Yuliia, call sign “Jerry”, is 22. At an age when people choose dresses or plan careers, she chose the military uniform, knowing her place was in the Armed Force
Her story was published on the page of the 2nd Mountain Assault Battalion of the 128th Separate Transcarpathian Mountain Assault Brigade.
“Yes, sometimes I want to just be a girl. To return to where there is no war, build a family, learn something new. But since childhood I dreamed of the army. I liked the adrenaline, the uniform, the weapons. It was my final decision”, — Yulia says.
Her path to the military wasn’t easy — the police and National Guard rejected her. But she didn’t give up; she applied online and eventually heard a “yes”. She chose her brigade following the advice of her brother — also a soldier.
Her arrival was an event. The commander recalls with a smile:
“Yulia was our first girl. We didn’t know what it would be like. We prepared a separate room, created conditions. We didn’t know what kind of ‘lady’ was coming, but it turned out simple: she became an integral part of our mechanism”.
She quickly proved that neither age nor gender defines qualification. While others hesitated, she was already holding a screwdriver and soldering iron, mastering the technical side of drones — an unexpected challenge for her.
“I didn’t even know at first that such things existed. But curiosity drew me in. I want to learn and learn”, — she says.
Today she not only flies — she pilots heavy drones whose weight with cargo can match her own.
Behind the technical skills lies a personal tragedy she speaks of quietly:
Her husband gave his life for Ukraine. Many would break after such a loss. Yulia turned the pain into motivation.
“After losing my husband, life changed. My service now is the motivation to avenge him. Every time I go out, I feel calm. As if he reassures and protects me. Though the fear is always there, deep inside”, — she says.
During missions she never asks for leniency. Though comrades try to help, she insists on being equal to everyone.
The commander confirms she has never refused a mission, even in the hardest times.
The army changed her character but didn’t erase her femininity. She believes women have a place in the army: their attentiveness and precision can be decisive in working with technology.
About victory, she says simply:
“When it’s all over, the first thing I’ll do is visit friends and comrades who gave their lives for Ukraine. And only then — home, to my family”.
She regrets nothing. At 22, she already knows the price of freedom — and of every meter of Ukrainian land she protects through the lens of her drone.
