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Nika, 24, a sniper for the Ukrainian army. 2 September 2016. Donbass, East Ukraine. In June of 2016, Ukrainian women were finally given the right to serve in combat positions. Before that, they were barred from serving on the front line as part of the armed service. However, since the beginning of Maidan, despite rules, women were consistently on the front line risking their lives in volunteer positions, sometimes claiming to be "medic" on paper, and serving roles such as being snipers without legal representation from the government.

According to the Ministry of Defense in Ukraine, 17,000 women are currently in the armed forces, as well as 33,000 women working as civil servants, and an uncountable number of those who are part of volunteer political groups such as Right Sector.

About author:

Sarah Blesener is a documentary photographer based in New York City. Born in
Minneapolis, Minnesota, she studied Linguistics and Youth Development at North
Central University. While in University, she worked as a photographer for the
organization Healing Haiti based in Port au Prince, Haiti, covering events
surrounding the 2010 earthquake. Upon graduation in 2012, she studied at Bookvar
Russian Academy in Minneapolis, concentrating on the Russian language. She is a
recent graduate of the Visual Journalism and Documentary Practice program at the
International Center of Photography in New York. Her latest work revolves around
issues of youth culture and movements, focusing on Russia, Eastern Europe, and the
United States.

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