When Russia invaded Ukraine,
most of the world thought
that they were just gonna roll their tanks in
and have the whole country in a few days.
But, as it turns out,
the Ukrainian resistance has been so effective
that, after two weeks, the Russians have barely captured
any of the cities that they've been attacking.
And considering that the Russian army
is eight times the size of Ukraine's,
this has been humiliating for Russia.
Right? It's like Godzilla
getting his ass whupped by the Geico gecko.
And a major part of Ukraine's resistance
has been thanks to Ukrainian women.
And I'm not just talking about the Ukrainian women
who protected their children while on the run
or helped lead others into bomb shelters
or even gave birth in subway stations
while Russian missiles rained down on them.
No, I'm talking about all the Ukrainian women
who have actively joined the fight itself.
As the fighting in Ukraine continues,
thousands of women of all ages,
some even without military training,
are taking up weapons and heading to the front lines
to defend their country.
NEWSWOMAN: Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian women
have stayed behind to fight on the front lines.
NEWSWOMAN 2: They are Ukraine's mothers,
daughters, teachers, politicians,
now on the front lines,
defending their country under siege.
Men are required by martial law
to stay back and fight the Russian invasion,
but many women are foregoing the chance to leave.
I was helping my husband to pack for a war.
You know, T-shirts, underwear, weapons.
Um, and then I thought,
"Okay, he's going to war.
I'm going, too."
I want to fight, also,
because this is my country, this is my home.
Goddamn, the women of Ukraine are not (bleep) around.
And how about the woman who went to war to be with her husband?
I mean, people, the phrase "relationship goals"
gets thrown around a lot nowadays,
but that's next level.
Yeah, that's not even in wedding vows.
You realize, the priest is like,
"You've got to stay together in sickness and in health,
but if Russia invades, you do you."
Now, obviously, not every Ukrainian woman's
on the front lines, right, but even the women
who aren't fighting aren't just waiting at home,
hoping for the best.
No, they're joining the resistance in other ways.
NEWSWOMAN: From making protective gear,
like camouflage nets and bulletproof vests,
to building homemade weapons,
Ukrainian women are mobilizing, no matter how old or how young.
NEWSMAN: In a volunteer center in Lviv,
moms gather supplies for those fighting further east.
(translated): We understand we need to hold strong,
like a fist, like this.
NEWSWOMAN 2: Since military-age men can't leave Ukraine,
women are acting as couriers.
29-year-old Christinia came to this border crossing
with a mission-- to pick up and deliver this car to the front.
NEWSWOMAN 3: Women of all ages are now helping
to defend the besieged nation, making Molotov cocktails.
How did you learn how to make Molotov cocktails?
(speaking foreign language)
CLARISSA WARD: "Google helped," she tells me.
Okay, that's amazing. That grandmother learned
how to make Molotov cocktails from Google?
I didn't even know you could do that.
I mean, she is gonna pay the price, now, though.
Yeah, because every website she goes to is gonna give her ads
for Molotov cocktails, now.
Yeah, and then she's gonna be like,
"I don't need to see these ads! I already made the Molotovs!
"Oh, it's so annoying! I wish there was a way to tell
"the ads to stop popping up. You won! Leave me alone!
I bought the thing you told me to buy!"
And, by the way, If a grandmother is
making Molotov cocktails, it's probably going to be the best
tasting cocktails around.
Yeah, because I don't know about yours,
but my grandmother can make anything taste good.
Yeah, Russian soldiers are going to be on fire, like,
"(screaming) Ah...! Ah..! So tasty! Ah...!"
But it's not just Ukrainian women fighting against Putin.
No, it turns out there are also Russian women
fighting against him, too.
-(chanting in Russian) NEWSWOMAN: The chant "No To War"
is resounding throughout Russia.
(people shouting)
In St. Petersburg, this brave old lady stood up to
a goon squad of armored police during an antiwar protest.
She's said to be a childhood survivor
of the Nazi siege of Leningrad during World War II.
NEWSWOMAN 2: Some saying they'd rather risk arrest
than live with guilt.
-(speaking Russian) -NEWSWOMAN 2: "I want
the whole world to see that we don't want it,"
this woman says.
NEWSMAN: One video on social media showed
Russian security forces in St. Petersburg
roughing up a woman holding a peace sign and a baby.
NEWSMAN 2: This woman even burning her Russian passport
in an antiwar protest in Germany.
(indistinct chatter)
(cheering)
Yeah, it turns out Russian women all over the globe
are also standing up against this unjust war.
I mean, that granny survived Nazis
and now she's fighting for this.
That mother was arrested with her baby attached to her chest.
And I'm sorry-- people, armored police
should not be roughing up a baby.
Only an armored police baby is allowed do that.
It's called a fair fight.
Now, look, I don't know if Ukraine's or Russian's women
will be able to stop Putin,
but on this International Women's Day,
I think it's worth highlighting how women across two countries
are coming together to fight a crazy man's war.