Ukrainian servicewoman shot down cruise missile from Igla MANPAD in first live fire

On the morning of November 17, during a massive combined air attack on Ukraine, soldier Natalia Hrabarchuk made the first combat launch and destroyed a cruise missile.

The Ukrainian Air Force reported this.

Natalia Hrabarchuk reportedly shot down a Russian cruise missile from the Igla man-portable infrared homing surface-to-air missile system.

Natalia took a 5-month training course at the training center and mastered various types of man-portable air defense systems.

“When the enemy missile was in front of me, I threw away all emotions and excitement. I had made hundreds of training launches on simulators. And here – the first combat and on target,” says Natalia.

She added that the man-portable air defense system weighs about 18 kilograms and that it also comes with a lot of responsibility.

“I am very glad that I managed to do it. After the combat work, I let my emotions out a bit. Our mobile firing group includes female soldiers. We make every effort to achieve results and give our best,” Natalia shares.

In civilian life, Nataliia Hrabarchuk was a preschool teacher.

Since 2021, she has been an anti-aircraft gunner with the anti-aircraft missile unit of the Radio Technical Brigade “Galicia-Volyniask” of the Air Command West.

Women in the Armed Forces of Ukraine

Militarnyi previously reported that Ternopil, Chernivtsi, and Chernihiv regions are leading in the number of women among candidates for the Ukrainian Defense Forces who have applied to recruitment centers.

It is reported that in the Ternopil region, 48% of all those wishing to join the Defense Forces are women. This is followed by the Chernivtsi region (44%) and the Chernihiv region (39%).

The Defense Ministry details that the average share of women in the country willing to join the military is 19% of all candidates in recruitment centers.

As of April 2024, over 5,000 women were on the front line, most in the Ground Forces.

As of April 1, 67,285 women served in the Armed Forces, of whom 47,569 were military servicewomen.