Glib Kanevskyi: MoD has allocated nearly a quarter billion UAH for clothing and gear supplies for female service members

Amid the full-scale war, the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine places special emphasis on the needs of female service members, providing not only equal opportunities but also high-quality, comfortable, and functional gear and clothing tailored to the female anatomy and the specific needs of service.

“From 2024 to 2025, the State Operator for Non-Lethal Acquisition (DOT), the Ministry of Defence's procurement agency, procured women's clothing worth over UAH 230 million. We are systematically overhauling the approach to gear and clothing provision by expanding the assortment and implementing new standards tailored to the anatomical characteristics of women. The Ministry of Defence must ensure that our female personnel are provided with high-quality, service-appropriate clothing and gear,” said Glib Kanevskyi, Director of the Procurement Policy Department of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine.

The MoD’s Main Directorate of Logistics Support Development has developed a range of women’s gear and clothing items and approved corresponding technical specifications, which are now available on the MoD Partner digital portal. These include underwear and sports bras, summer field uniform suits, demi-season base layer underwear, and cold-weather base layer underwear (shirt and long johns).

In addition, two models of modular body armor, in configurations 1 through 8 and specifically tailored for women, have been approved.

“As part of further improving the quality of gear and clothing, military (experimental) tests of women’s winter wind- and moisture-resistant jackets and trousers (Type 3) have been conducted. Following trials and positive feedback, the development of corresponding technical specifications is now underway,” noted Lieutenant Colonel Maksym Kaiola, Head of the Central Directorate for Logistics Support Development at the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine.

Basic uniform components for female service members were developed even before the onset of the full-scale aggression: a field shirt, skirt, trousers, long- and short-sleeve shirts, a tie, a field cap, a winter everyday hat, a pullover, a coat, chrome-tanned leather shoes, and insulated boots.

According to Ministry of Defence Order No. 606 of 20 November 2017 (as amended), the skirt is part of the ceremonial and everyday summer uniform, while the pullover or jacket is worn with trousers. These trousers are anatomically tailored, narrowing slightly toward the hem, with no pockets and shaped by darts in the back panels to ensure a better fit.

Women’s bowties, embellished with a small trident emblem in place of a button, have also been developed. The women’s cap has been redesigned to be more elegant and to better complement female hairstyles, drawing inspiration from American-style headgear. The development of a new model of women’s winter everyday hat has also been completed.

Special attention has been given to footwear: women are provided with shoes and insulated chrome-tanned leather boots, designed for comfort during prolonged wear.

Some gear and clothing items are unisex in design. However, women’s anthropometric characteristics are always taken into account when designing uniforms, including the introduction of smaller sizes and adjusted cuts.