Krisen-Reporter Jan Jessen berichtet
War and Crisis Podcast
Veröffentlicht am 19.08.2026 / 04:55
*This Episode is made with the help of AI
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How Does War Change Women’s Lives?
In this episode of In Crisis Mode, FUNKE war correspondent Jan Jessen speaks with six Ukrainian women who have taken on extraordinary responsibilities in very different circumstances.
Anna Purtowa is a member of the Ukrainian parliament, where she works on issues affecting veterans, missing persons, and prisoners of war. Lena Dembitska, call sign “Lisa,” served as a combat medic at the front. Today, she trains soldiers in tactical medicine, drawing on her experience on the battlefield.
Liliya Chertenko develops orthopedic shoes for people who have lost parts of their feet in the war.
Alina Maksymenko is working to keep her cosmetics company in Kyiv afloat while managing everyday family life during wartime. Tetyana Stramnova is fighting to keep her goat farm near Kherson running while bearing sole responsibility for her animals and her two children with disabilities. Nataliya Dykul, a marine biologist and oceanographer, now also works as a UNDP adviser on underwater mine clearance in the Black Sea.
The six women share how the war has transformed their work, their families, and their understanding of their own roles. Their stories span political responsibility, military service, medical care, economic survival, and the responsibilities women assume when many men are fighting at the front.
Anna Purtowa believes that women will carry much of the responsibility for rebuilding Ukraine after the war. The episode explores whether these new responsibilities are simply a consequence of wartime necessity—or whether they could bring about lasting changes in Ukrainian society.
Jan Jessen — Head of Politics at the NRZ and war and crisis correspondent for FUNKE Mediengruppe
Anna Purtowa — Member of the Ukrainian parliament
Lena Dembitska, call sign “Lisa” — Combat medic and tactical medicine instructor
Liliya Chertenko — Professor of fashion technology and developer of orthopedic footwear
Alina Maksymenko — Entrepreneur and co-founder of the cosmetics brand M2O
Tetyana Stramnova — Founder and operator of the Amalthea goat farm
Nataliya Dykul — Oceanographer and adviser on underwater mine clearance
01 | What does responsibility mean in wartime?
Jan Jessen introduces the central question of the episode. Anna Purtowa talks about the reconstruction of Ukraine and the responsibility women are taking on.
02 | Anna Purtowa: Missing people and prisoners of war
A member of parliament talks about families, prisoners of war, and the limits of international law.
03 | Lena Dembitska: Combat medic at the front
The combat medic talks about her deployments, her injuries, and training a new generation of soldiers.
04 | Liliya Chertenko: Orthopedic shoes for the wounded
A professor helps people who have lost parts of their feet as a result of the war.
05 | Alina Maksymenko: Business and family under attack
An entrepreneur from Kyiv talks about growth, fear, and the responsibility women are taking on behind the front lines.
06 | Tetyana Stramnova: The goat farm near Kherson
A farmer fights to keep her farm, her animals, and her two children with disabilities going.
07 | Nataliya Dykul: Science in the service of dealing with the consequences of war
An oceanographer advises underwater mine-clearance teams in the Black Sea.
08 | Who will carry Ukraine forward after the war?
Six stories and the question of what responsibilities women will continue to take on after the war.
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Thanks to Thomas Bertram for his voice.