Hundreds of LGBTQ fighters have joined the Ukrainian army to fend off the Russian invasion, which has killed hundreds of thousands and ravaged swathes of the country.Many are fighting on two fronts: with guns and drones against Moscow's troops, and with pickets and protests for the right to love in a country that does not recognise their relationships."It's easier for me to get permission to kill someone than to marry the person I love," said Victoria, a soldier AFP met near the front in eastern Ukraine.
Drone pilot Viktoria feels Ukraine is taking 'two steps forward' and 'three steps back' on LGBTQ rights © Genya SAVILOV / AFP
Ukraine does not allow or recognise same-sex marriages or civil unions.In April, lawmakers advanced a new civil code that would uphold the bans -- drawing condemnation from international watchdogs and stoking fears of a further rollback of freedoms.For LGBTQ soldiers, the rules mean if they are wounded or killed in combat, their partners are denied compensation payments or even the right to visit them in hospital.- 'Three steps back' - Support for Ukraine's LGBTQ community has been slowly increasing amid the Russian invasion.A 2025 survey by the Kyiv Institute of Sociology, found more than 78 percent of Ukrainians supported granting LGBTQ people "the same rights as other citizens" -- up from 64 percent in 2022.But a third said they had a negative opinion in general of LGBTQ people and that they should not be allowed to enter civil unions.
