Ukrainian soldiers freeze semen and send message to Russia

For many couples, planning children is a normal part of the relationship. Shared dreams, a future, having a family. But for many Ukrainian soldiers, that dream became a distant memory when Russia invaded their country.

Dozens of men volunteered to fight – many of them died. Their relatives, their partners, often already pregnant, stayed behind. These children will have to grow up without their father. However, some will not remain siblings.

Hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers have frozen their semen before going into battle, the New York Times reports. Others returned to their families for a short break and froze their sperm before returning to battle. In the hope that their partners, even if they die in the war, can still start a family. This is also intended to send an important signal to Russia.

Not uncommon in war

However, the idea of ​​freezing sperm during war is not new. During the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, several companies offered this service to U.S. troops for free. Israel even fought for a law that would allow families of fallen soldiers to use semen from a dead soldier’s body for reproduction.

Critics in Israel call this procedure “planned orphanage”. Because the child would grow up without a father. For many Ukrainians, however, the idea of ​​saving the soldiers’ sperm is as personal as it is patriotic. Because on the one hand it helps men who want to make sure that something remains theirs and possibly offers comfort to their partners. And on the other hand, it offers your country another chance to fight back. In this way the bloodline can be preserved.

Apparently this message has already had an effect and has reached Russia. Pro-Kremlin journalist Olga Skabeeva recently said on state television that freezing soldiers’ sperm amounts to “genetic experiments to build a nation”.

She warned: “Using artificial selection, an entire army of selected Ukrainians is being bred with an elevated level of Russophobia.”

However, the idea of ​​freezing sperm has caught on so much that the bill has been debated in parliament. The semen must be able to be frozen at the expense of the state. Several clinics already offer the service for free at their own expense.