Bucha’s ‘Witches’: Ukraine’s all-female drone defense unit

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

WHEN RUSSIA INVADED UKRAINE IT IGNITED THE LARGEST CONFLICT IN EUROPE SINCE WORLD WAR II. IN THE SMALL TOWN OF BUCHA — JUST OUTSIDE OF KYIV — THE AFTERMATH OF RUSSIA’S INITIAL OCCUPATION REVEALED THE STARK REALITY OF BRUTALITY INFLICTED ON UKRAINIANS–AS THE BODIES OF MORE THAN 450 MEN, WOMEN, AND CHILDREN MARKED THE LANDSCAPE.

THE OCCUPATION AND MILITARY ACTIONS BECAME EMBLEMATIC OF RUSSIA’S HARSH TACTICS IN THE REGION.

IN RESPONSE TO THE ONGOING WAR AND THE HORRORS BUCHA ENDURED, RESIDENTS ARE ACTIVELY ENGAGING IN RECOVERY EFFORTS AND STRENGTHENING THEIR DEFENSIVE CAPABILITIES TO PROTECT THEIR TOWN AND UPHOLD THEIR SAFETY IN THE FACE OF ONGOING CONFLICT.

AMONG THEM, IS A REMARKABLE ALL-FEMALE AIR DEFENSE UNIT DUBBED THE ‘WITCHES OF BUCHA’. THESE BRAVE WOMEN, MANY OF WHOM LOST FAMILY MEMBERS DURING THE OCCUPATION, ARE NOW TRAINING TO SHOOT DOWN DRONES WITH MACHINE GUNS TO PROTECT THEIR COMMUNITY.

THIS FIRST ALL-FEMALE ANTI-AIRCRAFT UNIT, TASKED WITH HUNTING DOWN ENEMY DRONES LIKE THE SHAHED, WIELDS THE CENTURY-OLD MAXIM M1910 MACHINE GUN, EFFECTIVELY REPURPOSING A CLASSIC WEAPON AGAINST MODERN THREATS.

THEIR TRAINING INVOLVES A NETWORK OF MICROPHONES TO DETECT DRONES, QUICKLY FOLLOWED BY THE DEPLOYMENT OF MOBILE INTERVENTION GROUPS THAT MOVE TO INTERCEPT AERIAL THREATS.

THIS UNIQUE AIR DEFENSE UNIT IS PART OF A UKRAINIAN MILITARY VOLUNTEER FORMATION AND — WHILE NOT AN OFFICIAL MILITARY SERVICE — IT RECEIVES SUPPORT FROM LOCAL AUTHORITIES.

THE PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN IN UKRAINE’S MILITARY HOWEVER SURGED SINCE THE CONFLICT’S ESCALATION. LAST YEAR, THE MINISTRY OF DEFENSE REPORTED NEARLY 43,000 WOMEN IN SERVICE, A 40% INCREASE FROM THE PREVIOUS YEAR. TODAY, ABOUT 65,000 WOMEN SERVE, WITH AROUND 4,000 IN COMBAT ROLES, DEMONSTRATING SIGNIFICANT STRIDES IN THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS TO NATIONAL DEFENSE.

FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS, I’M RYAN ROBERTSON. FOR MORE STORIES ABOUT THE WAR IN UKRAINE, DOWNLOAD THE STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS APP TODAY–
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