By Anna Romandash
The views expressed below are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy or Harvard Kennedy School. These perspectives have been presented to encourage debate on important public policy challenges.
The digital war is just as real as the one happening on the ground, and for women, it brings its own set of dangers—and opportunities.
War isn’t just fought on battlefields anymore. In Ukraine, it’s unfolding on screens, in code, and across invisible networks. The digital war is just as real as the one happening on the ground, and for women, it brings its own set of dangers—and opportunities.
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has made this clearer than ever. The physical destruction is undeniable, but so is the war happening online. Cyberattacks cripple infrastructure, disinformation floods social media, and AI is reshaping the rules of engagement. Women are both targeted and leading the charge in this new reality. I am speaking from experience here.
For years, Russia has used digital tools to spread propaganda, manipulate narratives, and instill fear. Ukrainian women—journalists, activists, soldiers, and everyday citizens—are frequently at the center of these attacks.
Disinformation campaigns often target female voices, trying to discredit their work or reduce them to stereotypes. Women serving in the military are mocked or erased from Russian narratives. Those advocating for justice online are harassed, threatened, and doxxed. These digital assaults mirror the real-world threats that Ukrainian women face daily, but they also reveal something else: courage and resilience amid fear.
These digital assaults mirror the real-world threats that Ukrainian women face daily, but they also reveal something else: courage and resilience amid fear.
After all, it was the fear of losing their loved ones – or having their identities erased – that empowered women, whether we’re talking about a battlefield, in government, or in the media. Women who responded to the digital threats, cognitive warfare, and hybrid attacks through activism and narrative shifting pose a direct challenge to oppressive regimes.
Artificial intelligence has quickly become another player in this war. In some ways, it strengthens Russia’s disinformation machine, generating fake news at an alarming scale. AI-powered deepfakes have been used to spread false narratives, creating misleading images and videos that blur the lines between truth and fiction. Women have been disproportionately targeted by these tools, with fake images and videos used to intimidate or discredit them.
But AI is also helping to fight back. It’s being used to track war crimes, analyze vast amounts of battlefield data, and document human rights abuses—including those against women. AI-driven tools can identify patterns of violence, helping international organizations build cases against perpetrators. Ukrainian women are working with these technologies to ensure that truth prevails.
Despite these challenges, women in Ukraine continue to lead in digital defense. Many have become cybersecurity experts, fighting against Russian hackers. Others are developing AI systems to counteract misinformation. Women journalists are using digital tools to document war crimes in real time, ensuring that the world sees the truth.
To truly protect women’s rights in the digital space, several things must happen: more cybersecurity training, accountability for AI misuse, support networks for women, especially those facing online harassment, and broad recognition of the problem – not just by women, but by the general public.
Ukrainian women are proving, time and time again, that they will not be silenced.
What’s more important is that women become the narrative creators whenever they speak about themselves. Women are not and should be silenced, whether online or offline. Wars always try to change that – enforcing silence on women through violence, propaganda, or intimidation, and the goal has been the same: to push them out of the fight. But Ukrainian women are proving, time and time again, that they will not be silenced.
They are defending their country not just with weapons, but with words, data, and digital tools. They are shaping AI instead of letting it be used against them. They are rewriting the rules of war, showing that the digital battlefield belongs to them, too.
And they are winning.
Anna Romandash, Award-winning journalist from Ukraine, Technology and Human Rights Fellow, Carr Center
New Zealand Defence Force
