Russia is increasingly recruiting women for the war against Ukraine amid signs that its pool of potential male recruits is shrinking, according to an investigation by the Poland-based news outlet Vot Tak.
At least 50 Russian women serving in the war have been killed, with the annual death toll rising the longer the war has gone on, the outlet found.
Vot Tak identified each of the 50 women and examined how Russia recruits women, what motivates them to enlist and how their roles have expanded from medical and support work to operating drones, firing sniper rifles and taking part in assaults.
Women have traditionally served mainly in civilian and support positions in the Russian military. In early 2022, 310,000 women worked in the armed forces, but only about 40,000 were service members. By March 2023, 1,100 women were deployed in Ukraine, according to then-Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, the only official figure released during the war.
Vot Tak found that women are now being recruited for a wider range of combat duties, including as drone operators, snipers, machine gunners and assault troops.
