Dutch woman from The Hague becomes first foreign deputy commander in Ukrainian military
Khristina, a 37-year-old woman from The Hague, has become the first foreign deputy commander in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, serving in the eastern frontlines where fierce fighting continues. She has spent over three years in the conflict, witnessing its human toll firsthand. “Anyone who says they are not afraid is lying,” she told AD.
Khristina’s journey began in May 2022. While visiting a mobile hospital in a heavily bombed area, she saw bodies piled in a large pit. “A hand with a wedding ring. It was filthy. The soldier said they had no room to bury them yet,” she recalled. “I thought, ‘What can I do to help?’”
Khristina acknowledged the constant danger and the psychological strain. She and her Ukrainian soldier husband have only brief evening moments together. “We live day to day,” she told AD.
Born in Bulgaria but raised in the Netherlands, Khristina was a political science student at the University of Amsterdam, completing a dissertation on EU energy relations with Russia and Iran. When the war began, she organized relief aid, sending 20 tons of supplies to Ukraine through contacts from her volunteer work with the Red Cross.
She joined the Foreign Legion, the Ukrainian military unit for foreign volunteers, initially coordinating the flow of incoming fighters. She later trained as a military medic in tactical medicine and was assigned to a combat unit. “I am not a fighter. I know my limits. I want to save lives, not take them,” she told the newspaper.
Khristina served near Bachmoet in a reconnaissance unit, treating and evacuating wounded soldiers while training others to provide emergency care.
She now commands a unit of about 50 men, reportedly the first foreigner—and woman—to hold such a position in the Ukrainian army. She said earning respect sometimes required professional discipline. “I dress professionally, no female clothes, no makeup, no long nails. All according to protocol,” she explained to AD.
Her role includes coordinating missions via radio and translating orders for soldiers who do not speak Ukrainian. “Even a small mistake can be fatal,” she told the newspaper. “We recently lost three men at once. I have no time for emotions; the survivors must return safely.”
