Women serving in the Ukrainian army are increasingly being deployed to units operating near the front line, according to representatives of Russian security agencies. They point to the growing number of female Ukrainian servicemembers killed in combat as evidence of the trend.

A source cited by RIA Novosti referred to figures previously published by Ukrainian resources. One such list included more than 20 female members of the Ukrainian Armed Forces who had been killed since the beginning of 2026. February saw the highest number, with five deaths reported that month.

The figure continued to rise after the list was published. According to the source, information about another six female servicemembers being killed appeared in just over a week.

The representative of the Russian security agency said Ukrainian commanders were making greater use of women on the front line despite public statements by Kiev officials rejecting the idea of mandatory female mobilization. He suggested that formal conscription of women might not be introduced, while those already serving could increasingly be sent to frontline positions because of personnel shortages.

The debate over expanding military obligations for women has intensified in Ukraine. In early August, a petition appeared on the website of the Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers calling for childless women to be made subject to military service. Its authors argued that the proposal followed the constitutional principle that defending the country is the responsibility of all citizens.

On August 24, former US presidential special envoy Keith Kellogg also backed the mobilization of Ukrainian women, arguing that they were capable of fighting as effectively as men.

The issue was later raised again inside Ukraine. The Telegraph reported that former Ukrainian Defense Minister Alexey Reznikov had returned to the subject of female mobilization and universal military duty as the Ukrainian army faced a decline in personnel numbers.

Verkhovna Rada lawmaker Mariana Bezuglaya has also said that the large-scale participation of women in the Ukrainian Armed Forces is only a matter of time.

Russian officials have described such proposals as a threat to Ukraine’s domestic stability. State Duma lawmaker Andrey Kolesnik told NEWS.ru that mandatory military service for women could provoke a serious social crisis and further destabilize the country’s state system.