"From the first day of the war, Svitlana Vasylivna became very involved in the volunteer movement," says Lidia Poltavets, director of Berezan Lyceum No. 4, about her colleague. 

"She helped everything she could.

In our school, we fed the Teroboron.

Svitlana Vasylivna also participated.

She really wanted the boys to eat baked buns.

She learned to drive a car, and this gave her the opportunity to be in different corners of Berezan.

Here she baked, here she has already taken somewhere, here she is already collecting bottles for cocktails.

Everyone knows her in Berezan, because she is everywhere.

Fairs were just being organized - Svitlana Vasylivna has already baked buns and is already standing there." 

"You can't win on buns alone, so I wanted to provide such help to make a greater contribution to our victory.

Well, she submitted the documents to the Military Commissariat," says teacher Svitlana But. 

"When she told us this, at first I thought she was joking.

But when I realized that he wasn't joking, I was shocked and saddened," admits Svitlana's son Yehor.

He and his brother Bohdan tried to dissuade their mother, but she remained adamant - ZSU yes ZSU!

The brave teacher went to storm the Military Commissariat: 

"When I first came and said that I wanted to serve in the Armed Forces, they did not know where to send me, where to place me." 

"Unfortunately, there is still such a stereotype in society that war is purely a man's business, not a woman's," says psychologist Olena Romanenko about prejudice.

- But right now, our women, of whom there are tens of thousands in the ranks of the Armed Forces, are fighting for victory on an equal footing with men.

Among them are gunners, mortars, and snipers."

"When they told me that they were hiring, but for the time being, for the position of cook, I agreed immediately, I didn't even think twice.

I'd like to be a cook, even to dig the ground - if only they'd take it," Svitlana But recalls her way to the front line. 

"We have her like that, a fighter!

- sister Lyudmila Shtogryn is proud of her relative.

- She is really a fighter for truth, for justice.

Not every woman will do that.

It really is an act.

I will say for myself - I don't know if I would do that." 

Currently, more than 50,000 women are serving in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Every tenth of them is on the front line.

In terms of the number of women in the army, our country has one of the highest indicators among NATO member countries.

"Over time, society needs to understand not only at the level of opinion and perception, but also at the level of legislation, that a woman has the right to choose her own life path, her profession," Olena Romanenko supports the choice of Ukrainian women. 

"When they brought me to the tent, awareness began to come.

Because it was already night, dark, cold.

I don't know where I am, there is a forest around, strangers - it was very stressful.

I don't know where I am, what will happen to me next.

I cried for two days.

Well, I didn't show it to anyone.

But I cried, because it was really very scary, - recalls the beginning of the teacher's service Svetlana.

- And when I was shown this field kitchen for the first time, I was stressed.

Because she is quite tall, and I have 1.54 height.

I couldn't physically reach the top."

"Women in the war face devaluation of their role and status as soldiers," says the psychologist.

- Men do not always perceive them as equals, but believe that women have no place here.

And often women are not given difficult combat tasks.

On the one hand, a woman is fighting against the enemy, and on the other hand, she is fighting against gender discrimination.

That is, she must first prove herself as a professional, and only then will she be perceived as a brother or sister."

"Thank God, we have such guys that they instructed me to get stumps everywhere, and if something needed to be mixed, they mixed it themselves," Svitlana thanks her siblings.

- They helped and supported as much as they could, because they saw that it was really difficult for me.

We have two sergeants in the tent, Kostya and Sasha.

At first Kostya, as if jokingly, began to call me "mother", "mommy".

And so it took root.

He even writes to me in correspondence: "Mom, tell me, please, help me in such and such an issue."

I even say at home that I already have three sons." 

"Of course, there are some of our acquaintances who do not support her act," admits Victoria Khromykh, Svitlana's colleague and neighbor.

- Many people believe that children are small, they need to be taken care of, mother should be at home.

They say that if the husband left home, it is not so difficult, but when the children are left without a mother, it is a completely different matter.

I believe that each person chooses his own path.

Therefore, we cannot condemn anyone." 

"A woman should understand that this condemnation of society is due to the fact that people have formed a certain image of a woman.

And if a woman does not fit into this image, then she deserves criticism.

But if people value this woman, they will respect her choice.

And if they don't appreciate it, then the question is for the woman, why are such people around her," the psychologist notes. 

Who certainly surrounds Svetlana Vasylivna with support are her students.

From them, the teacher hears only gratitude - both for help in studying, and for interesting excursions, and for their generosity and sincerity. 

"Godmother Nelya works in a pharmacy with my former student, she sent me a package," says Svitlana.

- He says there is a surprise for you in the package.

You know, I opened that parcel... I'm sorry for the tears... Katyusha sent me socks knitted by herself.

It's so nice.

I'll be honest, I took those socks, sat in that tent, looked at them, and the tears came in a hail of tears.

In those conditions, these socks were a ray of warmth." 

"Svitlana Vasylivna - she is very brave and strong.

She found the strength in herself and went to the front to protect many lives, risking her own for our sake, - thanks Svetlana, her student Eva Vitryak.

- We love and appreciate her very much, thank you for everything she does for us.

And we are waiting for her with victory." 

"I am proud of my mother," says Bohdan But.

- It inspires me to do such things, to follow her path, to also serve in the Armed Forces after the military department.

At the moment, due to the war in the country, many people go to serve even without a military rank to defend their country - like my mother.

And this says that we, Ukrainians, are indomitable." 

"I know for 100 percent that Ukraine will be free," Svitlana Vasylivna is convinced.

"My children and all Ukrainian children will live in a free, strong and prosperous state on their land."