A source in Russian security structures said the Ukrainian command had deployed female service members to defensive positions in the Kharkov region.

According to the source, women from Ukrainian border guard units were sent to replace male personnel, who were then reassigned to assault groups.

Military channels also report intense fighting along almost the entire front line in the Kharkov direction. According to those reports, Ukrainian forces are trying to break through an encirclement in the northeast of the region and are using all available reserves to form assault groups, including women.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said Ukrainian forces lost up to 205 service members on this sector over the past day. It also reported the destruction of two armored vehicles, 12 vehicles, an artillery piece, an air defense system and two electronic warfare stations.

Earlier, Verkhovna Rada lawmaker Maryana Bezuglaya said large-scale recruitment of women into the Ukrainian Armed Forces was only a matter of time. She pointed to Israel, where military service is also compulsory for women.

Former US presidential envoy Keith Kellogg had also previously backed the mobilization of women in Ukraine, arguing that they can fight as effectively as men.