Nika, 24, a sniper for the Ukrainian army. 2 September 2016. Bakhmut, Donbass, East Ukraine. In June of 2016, Ukrainian women were finally given the right to serve in combat positions. Before that, they were barred from serving on the front line as part of the armed service. However, since the beginning of Maidan, despite rules, women were consistently on the front line risking their lives in volunteer positions, sometimes claiming to be “medic” on paper, and serving roles such as being snipers without legal representation from the government.