Brave female soldiers of Ukraine's Special Forces Unit "Wild Field" share their stories of war and hope in their Nation, and discuss topics related to supporting female soldiers and care for veterans.

You are invited to attend this one-of-a-kind opportunity to speak directly with a courageous group of female Ukrainian Special Forces Soldiers. These women soldiers are all part of the separate special purpose battalion “Dyke Pole.” Dyke Pole, which means “Wild Field” in Ukrainian, is part of the first separate special purpose brigade of the Ukraine fighting forces. Named after Ivan Bohun, a Zaporozhian Cossack colonel from the 1600s, the battalion has been a critical component of liberating Ukrainians from occupied areas – particularly the recent liberation of Kharkiv Oblast from occupation in 2022.

Prepare to be inspired by the grit, ingenuity and hope of these brave women.

Moderated by Claire Russo - Senior Advisor, USAID Bureau for Conflict Prevention and Stabilization

Opening Remarks by Tori Hill-Ross, Director of Strategy, Programs and Outreach; Women, Peace and Security Lead, Romulus T. Weatherman Foundation and Michelle Quinn, Chairman of the ISOA Women, Peace, and Security Committee and Senior Advisor to Constellis.

Hosted by International Stability Operations Association (ISOA) & Romulus T. Weatherman Foundation

This event will be held in a webinar format. Several of the soldiers will speak with the assistance of a translator.

This event is open to ISOA members and non-members who are interested in working towards WPS Certification. Attendance at this event will apply towards your WPS Certification requirements.

About Special Operations Unit “Dyke Pole” (Wild Fields)

A separate special purpose battalion, “Dyke Pole” (which means wild field in Ukrainian) is part of the first separate special purpose brigade of the Ukraine fighting forces. Named after Ivan Bohun, a Zaporozhian Cossack colonel from the 1600s, the battalion has been a critical component of liberating Ukrainians from occupied areas – particularly the recent liberation of Kharkiv Oblast from occupation in 2022.

Moderator

Claire Russo

Senior Women Peace and Security Advisor
Biden Harris Administration
United States Agency for International Development

Claire Russo serves as a Senior Advisor with the Biden-Harris Administration at USAID in the Bureau for Conflict Prevention and Stabilization. Claire started her career in the Marine Corps as an intelligence officer. During her time in the Marines, she served with the First Marine Expeditionary Force, First Marine Air Wing and First Intelligence Battalion. In Fallujah, Russo led a team of Marines in targeting critical nodes of insurgent networks across Anbar Province. Following her deployment, Russo worked with the Joint Task Force for Sexual Assault Prevention and Response, assisting in the writing of the first ever Department of Defense (DoD) wide assault prevention and response policy. After leaving the Marines, Russo took a position with the Department of Army as a civilian advisor to infantry brigades operating in Afghanistan. Claire spent over a year in Afghanistan building the Female Engagement Team program for the Army and increasing women's participation in the counter insurgency campaign. After a year in Eastern Afghanistan, she moved to Kabul to serve as a special advisor to General Petraeus on the employment of women in counter insurgency and the training of female teams to support special operations.

Upon her return from Afghanistan, Claire served at the Council on Foreign Relations as an International Affairs Fellow. During her fellowship, she studied the role of women in combat and conflict and assisted in writing the policy to integrate women into combat roles in the U.S. Military. Continuing her work in defense policy, Claire served as a consultant to several implementing partners of the United States Government. In 2019, Claire ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in Virginia's 5th District. Following the campaign Claire served as Chief of Staff for Veterans for Biden.

Speaker

Galina Almazov

Junior Lieutenant Galina Almazova, call sign "Viterets,” is a legendary combat medic, who saved over a thousand lives in Ukraine since 2014, and deputy battalion commander of a separate special operations battalion "Wild Field/Dyke Pole". Galina was awarded multiple state awards and a Ukrainian non-state award "People's Hero of Ukraine." On August 9, 2022, during the offensive of the settlement of Bayrak, under constant shelling of barrel and rocket artillery, Galina Almazova, personally driving an unarmored medical evacuation vehicle among minefields, evacuated more than 110 wounded fighters of the "Dyke Pole" special forces battalion and related units that were involved during the assault.

Speaker

Darya Kostenko

Prior to Russia’s full invasion, junior sergeant Darya Kostenko, was working as a nurse at a Ukrainian hospital for 8 years. Right after the major escalation of Russia-Ukraine armed conflict in February 2022, Darya joined the Territorial Defense Forces. In May 2022, she started going on her first combat tours as a combat medic. Darya was operating in different hot spots along the frontline, mostly in the Kherson region, saving lives of many brave comrades as well as civilians.

Speaker

Yana Popyk

Yana Popyk, Junior sergeant Yana Popyk, call sign "Gadget", is a 28 year old combat medic from Kyiv. Yana has been serving in the ranks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces since March 2022 as a combat medic. Before the war, she worked as a business analyst in an IT company. On the first day of the full-scale invasion, she was at home in Zazymia village (Kyiv region) with her family. A few days later, Yana joined the ranks of 125th Territorial Defense Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. In April 2023, she was transferred to the "Dyke Pole" special operations battalion.