She traded in rings, necklaces and precious stones. Today, Evgeniya Emerald (31) is a symbol of the Ukrainian resistance. On February 23 of this year, the mother of a 10-year-old daughter was a successful businesswoman, jeweler and blogger with tens of thousands of followers. Now she is fighting as a sniper as part of a special unit near the Kharkiv Front against Russian forces in northeastern Ukraine.
“My father raised me as a child to be a fighter,” Emerald told the Ukrainian version of “Elle” magazine. According to the sniper, her late father was always afraid of a war with Russia and prepared accordingly. He had a large supply of ammunition and canned food to prepare in case of war. This is another reason why Emerald played with guns and uniforms as a kid instead of barbies and dolls.
Just before the war, she bought food and a large amount of ammunition for six months. On the day of the invasion, she set up a sort of bunker in her house for her friends and relatives. “I brought a few people to my house because the location of our house seemed the safest. I lived in a neighborhood that wasn’t attractive to rocket attacks,” Emerald said. “After that I reported directly to the conscription office and enlisted in the army.”
Already the second attempt
As early as 2014, when the Russians invaded Crimea, Emerald wanted to fight for her country. “I wanted to join the military. However, it was illegal at the time because I was the mother of a daughter who was almost two years old.” That has now changed. Today, Emerald is part of the special forces known as Safari.
She is now an integral part of her company, even though she struggled with gender bias at first. “It really wasn’t easy in the beginning. My male colleagues didn’t understand that I wasn’t safe somewhere and was raising children.” She had to prove herself every day, consistently abstaining from asking for help and completing all the tasks that men had to do to gain respect. Successfully! Today, she is best known by her battle name, Joan of Arc.
wedding in the front
Life on the frontline is tough, Emerald reports. To keep her morale up, she started learning English and reading books. That kind of everyday things help her a lot
“It’s important for me to think about my future. I now know exactly what I want to do after the war,” says Emerald. What sounds downright grotesque given the permanent death threat at the front helps her not lose motivation.
One of the reasons she is optimistic about the future despite the war is love. On October 14, not far from the war front, she married soldier Evgeniy Stipanyuk, with whom she fights in the same unit. The date was not chosen arbitrarily. The Day of the Defenders of Ukraine is celebrated in Ukraine on October 14.