Iryna Krykunenko has worked in social journalism for a long time. Shortly after the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, she joined the demining sector as a communications expert at HALO Trust Ukraine, an international humanitarian demining organization. Read about the organization's activities, Ukraine's needs for humanitarian demining, and the role and professional development of women in this area in our interview with Iryna on the occasion of the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action.

The first strategic session on the development of the National Action Plan “Women, Peace and Security” until 2030 in pursuance of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 was held in Kyiv on March 28, 2025. The purpose of the session was to identify the key areas and objectives of the next plan, as well as to formulate clear indicators by which its implementation can be assessed.

Kyiv — Russia’s three years of mass attacks on Ukraine are having a devastating effect on women and girls, with 1,869,000 internally displaced, almost 6.7 million women in need of humanitarian assistance, and more than 3,799 women and 289 girls killed, with the actual number of deaths likely much higher, according to the United Nations.

In the quiet village of Chesnyky, in western Ukraine, Rosolovska had built a family business specializing in cold-pressed cooking oils. When Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022, her thriving business faced unprecedented challenges and was forced to halt production as the war disrupted supply chains and devastated key agricultural regions.

After three years of full-scale war in Ukraine, women are bearing the brunt of Russia’s war. But while they have endured violence and displacement, women throughout the country continue to advocate for resilience and equality.

As Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine is set to begin its fourth year, more than 1.7 million women and girls remain internally displaced throughout the country, according to IOM data. The war has been devastating for all the 3.7 million internally displaced persons in Ukraine – and also imposes gender-specific burdens on women and girls.

UN Women, in partnership with the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine and the National Police of Ukraine, conducted a series of training sessions for 100 police officers on responding to, classifying, and documenting cases of sexual harassment as an administrative offense under Article 173-7 (Sexual Harassment) of the Code of Administrative Offenses of Ukraine.

“For my business, winter with blackouts is a disastrous time,” said Iryna Fishchuk.

Olena Stryzhak is the Head of the Board of the NGO “Positive Women”, an activist and human rights advocate for women living with HIV in Ukraine. In 2000, when she was pregnant, Olena was diagnosed with HIV. But two years later, she became an activist and began helping other HIV-positive women go through this journey more easily.

The Second Donetsk Region Women's Congress, held in Kyiv on October 11, brought together 165 participants and 36 speakers. The Congress focused on the challenging situation of women in Donetsk oblast, which has been further deteriorated by Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The delegates of the Congress focused on highlighting the consequences of the war, such as forced displacement, traumatic experiences, damages and the growing level of gender-based violence against women, and emphasized the important role of active women in overcoming the humanitarian crisis in the region.

“The ongoing attacks by the Russian Armed Forces in Ukraine is a clear and deliberate assault on civilian lives and infrastructure. Protecting all civilians, especially women and girls, is imperative and demands immediate, decisive action.” Sabine Freizer Gunes, UN Women Representative in Ukraine

This opinion was expressed by Sabine Freizer Gunes, UN Women Representative in Ukraine. She believes that attention to gender equality issues in Ukraine helped the country to respond promptly to the problem of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) and to counter it.

At the end of November, international trainer and expert on the localization of the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) Agenda, Maia Avaliani, at the invitation of UN Women in Ukraine, conducted two trainings on "The Role of Women's Mediation in the Implementation of the Women, Peace, and Security Agenda and Recovery Processes in Ukraine" for representatives of regional and local authorities from Zaporizhzhia, Chernihiv, Sumy, and Kirovohrad regions.

During October-November 2023, the non-governmental organization "Internews-Ukraine," in collaboration with the Center for Democracy Development with the support of UN Women Ukraine, organized a series of offline trainings to support the agendas "Women, Peace, Security" (WPS) and "Youth, Peace, Security" (YPS). The trainings took place in Kropyvnytskyi, Sumy, Chernihiv, and Zaporizhzhia.

Before the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, Julia Kononchuk was studying at the Taras Shevchenko Kyiv National University. She won a scholarship to study in Great Britain and was supposed to begin university there in the fall of 2022, but her visa was not granted in time.

Women and marginalized groups have key role to play in leading decision making on Ukraine’s recovery, which should help build the country back better and more equal. This was the main message of representatives of the Ukrainian government, women rights organizations, civil society, and the private sector that convened at gender responsive event held ahead of the Ukraine Recovery Conference.

Ganna Suvorkina is a Ukrainian clothing designer who gave up working with famous brands and designers to sew uniforms for Ukrainian military servicewomen. What started for her as volunteering and the desire to work towards a common cause led her to rethink and pursue new challenges in her career.

Due to the war, Valentina Nalyvaiko has had to leave her home in Ukraine twice – first within the country following the 2014 invasion and then again after the full-scale Russian invasion in 2022. She’s had to start her life over again from scratch twice, most recently in the United Kingdom (UK).

Diana Andrunyk is a social photographer and photojournalist who has been working in artistic and advertising photography for 11 years. She has been working with Veteranka, the Women Veteran Movement, since 2021 on several projects together with military personnel. One of them is "A woman warrior is first and foremost a woman.” Five months after the full-scale Russian invasion, Andrunyk was forced to leave Ukraine and move to the United Kingdom (UK) for the safety of her family.

Veronika Lytvynenko is a volunteer and graphic designer for the Ukrainian Women Veteran Movement. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine found her in Kyiv, and her entire family in Mariupol.