Sawt Falasteen - Ukrainian women fight for uniforms that fit

There are more than 42,000 women serving in Ukraine's armed forces but they are only issued with male uniforms.

The Arm Women Now social initiative used donations to create and sew several thousand uniforms to fit servicewomen, which it gave to soldiers for free.

"It's very comfortable, it doesn't restrict my movements because the waist is high... Everything is held in place and you are mobile," said servicewoman Alina Pyrenko.

She showed off the snug waist of her camouflage trousers, the second pair she has received from Arm Women Now.

The military psychologist said she wore the uniform near Bakhmut last autumn and it performed well in the eastern frontline zone.

When she joined the armed forces, "for two months, we went without uniforms at all," she recalled.

"Then they started providing us with uniforms but gave us exclusively men's sizes, which we then got altered."

Servicewomen usually have to get baggy outfits fitted, or source women uniforms from other countries' forces.

"The men's trousers would fall down," she said, gesturing to show their straight-up-and-down style.

- Meeting the needs -

Arm Women Now, a group of Ukrainian women, has designed a set of military uniform to fit female soldiers, with slim-fit jackets, trousers with adjustable waists and comfortable sports bra.

And all of Ukraine's women soldiers could soon benefit from it: the design is now being tested for roll-out throughout the armed forces.

"I would like all women to get the uniform," said the project's founder Iryna Nykorak, an MP for Petro Poroshenko's European Solidarity party.

Her NGO is negotiating with the defence ministry to provide it as standard.

Last week, the defence ministry said it was working on "meeting the material needs of female military personnel" and deputy defence minister Denys Sharapov saw a presentation of potential women's uniform by Arm Women Now.

Sharapov said that "a comfortable uniform is one of the most important elements, because our women wear it every day".

Arm Women Now has already provided nearly 5,000 soldiers with free kit.

The full range of uniform they are proposing is extensive.

- No to men's pants -

There is a black pants and bra set with wide elastic bands.

"Underwear for combat missions, which is used by the military, is different from that worn by civilians," Nykorak said.

"And it's quite difficult for girls to find the right underwear to feel comfortable in," said the MP.

For winter, there are also black and khaki long-sleeved tops and leggings, zipped fleece jackets and hooded waterproofs.

Uniform trousers have multiple pockets and velcro to adjust the sizing at knees and ankles, while the waist can also be adjusted in two places.

"The most popular sizes are XS and even XXS," Nykorak told AFP.

Women fighting in a war should not have to worry about what they wear, she stressed.

"It seems to me that if a woman has... taken up arms and is defending her home, her family and her country, then she should at least have a comfortable uniform."

"During military operations, a woman cannot fight in men's underwear."

O.Salim--SF-PST