Colonel Olesya Buka. We are proud to have taken part in the Victory Parade

Western media were impressed by the girls at the Victory Parade. But they still try to criticize.

The appearance of representatives of the fair sex at the Victory Parade on May 9 so impressed the Western media that the lion's share of attention was devoted to girls in uniform.

“Russian President Vladimir Putin showed off his “miniskirted army” to the world in a sexist military parade, seemingly to stun his enemies,” responded the British newspaper The Daily Mirror. “Despite the power, the show with airplanes, anti-aircraft missile systems, the excess of nuclear weapons, the female touch attracted the most attention.”

But even here, Western journalists still remained true to themselves - they even criticized the beauties, clumsily hiding clearly positive emotions. Like, the skirts are indecently short - other countries don’t allow this!

“Miniskirts are in stark contrast to the female uniforms of most Western countries, including the British and American. The women marched in strict lines in the bright sun to military music and the obvious delight of the macho president.”

Well, we realized that it was not only the Russian leader who was delighted. Whatever it is, don’t be disingenuous, gentlemen.

“For some reason, the open knees of the girls of the MTO Academy (those who command ensigns), who walked through Red Square for the first time, plunged the islanders into shock and awe?”– Mikhail On.

It's funny, but this is the only thing that the British Daily Mirror describes, hissing and foaming. Why quite modest skirts in their interpretation are called minis is understandable - otherwise, what would they write about? But most of all I liked the kindergarten-level argumentation - how can you wear such skirts if the armies of Western countries, well, almost all of them, don’t wear this?

This is how you live and once again you are convinced that the West is good for a Russian person from the window of a car taken from Hertz for three weeks of vacation - to live and work there forever.

How do you like our girls at the Victory Parade? Combined parade squad of female military personnel of the Military University of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation during a military parade on Red Square in honor of the 71st anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.

We already write about what the Daily Mirror writes in the article “Victory Day. Victory Parade 2016”:

“This year at the Victory Day parade in Moscow, everyone’s attention was focused not on advanced military equipment, but on the women’s battalion “in miniskirts.” To the delight of the “brutal Russian leader,” the women marched in short skirts, in stark contrast to the uniforms adopted by most Western armies.”

At a “sexist military parade”, Russian President Vladimir Putin showed off his “miniskirted army” to the world, which is likely to stun his enemies, writes the Daily Mirror. Despite the fact that fighter jets, anti-aircraft missile systems and nuclear weapons were widely represented on Red Square, everyone's attention was focused on the marching women, who clearly looked out of place.

For whom exactly it is “inappropriate” and why, the British tabloid is silent. But he describes with gusto the details of the uniform that have long been used in parades of the People's Liberation Army of China - they used our model:

“They were wearing knee-high black boots, tan tights, a starchy white uniform with gold braid, black ties, white gloves and caps,” the newspaper reports. But the main thing that caught the eye was their short miniskirts, which contrast sharply with the uniform of the women's battalions of most Western armies, including the armed forces of Great Britain and the United States.

The women walked in orderly ranks to the military march, the sun was shining brightly, and it was noticeable that the “brutal Russian leader” liked this spectacle,”– notes the Daily Mirror.

What kind of man would Putin be if he didn’t like this spectacle? Or are only gay politicians in fashion among the British?

In general, as I understand it, beautiful women are very rare in degenerate England and they are simply wildly enviable.

Well, we need to make amendments and form the future occupation administration of the island exclusively from women – and in mini ones.

Well, God bless them, the islanders. They gave a good reason to look at the colonel in command of the girls with the funny surname Buka. And at the same time the Chinese equivalent.

Colonel Olesya Buka:

“The best and most beautiful cadets were taken to the Victory Parade”:

Colonel Olesya Buka, in an exclusive interview with Pravda.Ru, spoke about the preparation of the women's combined squad, which took part in the Victory Parade on May 9, 2016 on Red Square.

By the way, in this Academy, generally girls of the highest class, the poor general almost had a heart attack:

Olesya Buka herself is not super old, but for a 40-year-old woman she is quite:

Well, let's look at those who have stolen our style:

Well, let's finish with our picture:

EYEWITNESS'S VIEW

The sight of our girls at the parade made foreign attaches' jaws drop!

KP military observer Viktor BARANETS appreciated the length of the skirts of the women's column that marched through Red Square.

The British newspapermen from the Mirror were clearly “suffocated by a toad of envy” when they came up with the headline for the report on our brilliant Victory Parade - “Putin’s female army in miniskirts demonstrates its strength!” And then, just as biliously, they called the parade “a sexist attempt to hit the enemy.”

I don’t know what exactly “sexist” the British saw in our girls’ parade box on Red Square? Their skirts were strictly of the prescribed length! The dazzling white uniform fit flawlessly on the beautiful figures! And the slender legs flashed so beautifully and synchronously that I personally saw from three meters how the same foreign military attaches sitting in the stands of the Parade had their jaws dropped and saliva dripping onto their patent leather shoes! I myself, to be honest, forgot my middle name for a moment, looking at this marvelous line of ladies in uniform, bitingly (no less deftly than experienced combat soldiers!) beating their black boots on the paving stones of Red Square.

At that moment, the stands exploded with such atomic applause that it seemed to drown out the hundred-pipe military orchestra. These girls really were the stars of the parade! And at the same time they were his sweet female face.

The eyes of the strong-shouldered, grenadier-sized colonel who was sitting next to me on the podium, who was involved in the preparation of this parade, burned with fire precisely during the passage of the “white battalion.” He showed me his thumb and told me that in fact, these girls, along with the men, had walked tens of kilometers along the parade ground during three months of preparation. More than one heel has been worn down to zero. But in the end, thousands of Parade guests saw them off with no less admiring glances than the Armata tanks or Yars intercontinental missiles. And the veterans even stood up from their seats when they saw the women’s formation.

These girls will now forever go down in the history of the Victory Parades, because they were the first participants in this action, which has become not only a tradition for us, but also, probably, a patriotic religion.

And to the British newspapermen I will say this. Our military ladies showed themselves to be extremely worthy. Which could only make us feel proud. And not the shame that the British Queen experienced when she was once compromised at a high-ranking event by one of the officers in a skirt. The whole of Britain looked in shock at the photo taken at the ceremony of presenting medals to officers of the 1st Battalion of the Scottish Regiment who served in Iraq. The bravest soldiers in kilts (skirts) were honored to appear with the Queen in a group photo. So one of them - Simon West - was so happy about this that he forgot to straighten his kilt. And so he froze next to Elizabeth with his legs spread wide apart and his dignity sticking out between them in all its glory. Maybe the Mirror newspaper people can explain to us what it's like to be photographed next to the Queen without underwear?

Prepared especially for “RUSSIAN POWER” by Max Elev

At the Victory Parade on May 9, the parade squad of female soldiers once again amazed everyone. More than 10 thousand soldiers, officers, cadets of military schools and students of cadet corps marched across Red Square. 114 units of military equipment drove along the Kremlin paving stones. And the beauties in uniform received the most compliments. This year, the girl cadets from the Military University of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation and the Volsky Military Institute of Material Support were joined by smart beauties from the Budyonny Military Academy of Communications and the Mozhaisky Military Space Academy.

The "Women's Battalion" with its impeccable bearing and precise marching step eclipsed anti-aircraft missile systems and tanks and even the latest Arctic equipment.
We talked about how the preparations for the parade went, about the parade step in a skirt and the decline in popularity with Colonel Olesya Buka, who for the second year at the Victory Parade heads the combined parade squad of female military personnel.

Almost a girl came out to meet us from the entrance of the Military University: a fragile, slender figure, an open smile, dimples on her cheeks. Colonel's shoulder straps did not fit in with his pretty appearance. But a short phrase and a penetrating gaze from steely eyes put everything in its place. Behind the commanding voice, both character and remarkable will immediately became visible. We realized that in front of us was Colonel Olesya Buka. The same one that, in a snow-white uniform, has been dashing through Red Square for the second year at the Victory Parade in a parade of female military personnel.
She does not hide the fact that she is 40 years old. He's even proud of his age. Olesya Anatolyevna has 23 years of service behind her. At the Military University of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, she is deputy head of the department of languages and cultures of the peoples of the CIS and Russia. She also acts as the executive secretary of the admissions committee.

Olesya, how did you find out that you were entrusted with such a responsible role?
- Last year, when the Minister of Defense decided to allow female military personnel to participate in the Victory Parade, the relevant documents arrived at the Military University. And the management began to discuss who to entrust the training of cadets. The head of one of the faculties, who was directly involved in preparing the parade squad, asked me: “Would you like to lead the formation?” I immediately blurted out: “I would really like to!” When I myself was a cadet at the Military Academy of Economics, Finance and Law, as our university was previously called, we could not even dream about this. To be honest, I didn’t believe then that we would be able to meet these requirements, that we would be able to keep up with the guys in the ranks. And in 2016 this became possible. My candidacy was approved. The deputy head of the university called and said: “Get ready and go to the parade ground.” The decision was made very quickly. The cadets began walking at the Alabino training ground near Moscow on March 29. And at that time we had just made the decision to create a women’s “box”. It was necessary to urgently start training.
- How were female cadets selected to participate in the Victory Parade?
- We have already selected them. Those girls who enter military universities are very motivated and purposeful. They have higher USE results and are well prepared physically. If they became cadets, it means they earned the right to wear shoulder straps. So each of them was worthy to march as part of the combined parade squad on May 9 across Red Square. And the girls did not disappoint. They showed maximum diligence in drill training.
- Were there those who dropped out?
- There were girls who lacked endurance, discipline, and for some, physical capabilities. But there were only a few of them.
- How was the training?
- We studied every day for two hours, or even more. It was really hard. When you walk from the beginning to the end of the parade ground, perspiration appears on your back. And this is only in one pass. But we persisted in achieving a single kick. The training took place to the sound of a drum. At the moment when the big drum hit, the left foot should have touched the surface of the ground. First, we honed the step at a slower rhythm, so that later at a higher rhythm we could walk more harmoniously and efficiently.

When we arrived for the first time at the training ground in Alabino, those present perked up, expecting that they would have a reason to laugh. As a result, when we passed, we were told that we looked quite decent. And we can do anything! Although we only went there for a week. Training at the range was much easier than our home training. In Alabino, we simply held the ceremony on Red Square, we had two or three passes. And at home we walked without a break for several hours. At the same time, they dressed easier. Because they knew: no matter how cold it was outside, we would be hot, our backs would be wet through. After training, the girls immediately ran to change clothes.
- The weather this year obviously hasn’t been kind to you...
- We had to walk in the snow, then in the rain. At one of the training sessions in Alabino, when we shouted: “I wish you good health, Comrade Minister of Defense! Hurray, hurray, hurray! - hail flew into our mouths.
I attended all drill classes and walked along the parade ground with the girls. I often heard people say to me: “Comrade Colonel, you don’t have to go.” I answered: “You don’t understand, the girls should see that if I can do this, then they don’t have the right to complain and say that it’s hard for them.” That’s why I went, and I wasn’t ashamed to demand that they take a coordinated step and not whine in bad weather.
Last year, veterans came to our training, we sang the song “Come on, girls!” to them. This year we learned a song that suited the weather: “The morning greets us with coolness...” The veterans cried, remembering their youth.
“I’m glad that female soldiers have a decent headdress”
- Is the marching step in a skirt somewhat different?
- Yes, we walk differently in skirts, our marching step is a little different. The military guys from the 154th Separate Commandant's Preobrazhensky Regiment, like our cadets from the Military University, walk in a very correct, classic marching step, when the toe is lifted up, then straightened and the foot is placed on the full foot. If a girl walks with her sock up, it will be unaesthetic and ugly. We walk with our toes pointed out. Because we are girls in skirts. This is only a slight deviation from the drill regulations.
Our skirts are straight, but not tapered. This year we were treated to numerous fittings. And we asked to make the skirts loose so that you could walk in them. I later looked at the recordings of the Victory Parade on Red Square and was convinced that even in skirts we walked with good, wide marching steps.

It has been actively discussed on the forums that your dress uniform bears a clear resemblance to the one worn by female soldiers in the parade in China.
- Outwardly, it looks exactly the same as our traditional dress uniform. This is a women's jacket and straight skirt. Another thing is that the Minister of Defense chose white for the especially ceremonial women's uniform. We liked it. Of course, everyone understood how easily soiled he was. There were many parades both on the university grounds and on Red Square. And we, of course, took care of our uniforms and hats.
- Many people noted your original headdress. Was the cap more comfortable than the cap?
- The cap is very convenient to wear under a helmet in battle. This is not a formal, but an everyday headdress. All my life, while in the Armed Forces, I wore a cap, and I cannot say that it is very comfortable. I always had to secure it with bobby pins to keep the cap from falling off my head. The cap sits very firmly on the head. And her design is very beautiful. I have always envied that men have a cap, but we don’t. So I’m glad that female soldiers have a decent headdress.
- Did you also have your high-heeled boots made to order?
- Yes, measurers came to us and took our measurements. The boots had a 3-centimeter heel. According to the drill regulations, the leg must stand on a full foot. And the wide, stable heel was very comfortable for walking, including on paving stones. We didn’t have horseshoes, we didn’t “ring.” We were required to have alignment, beauty and a smile.
- Were there any requirements for hairstyles and makeup?
- Initially, it was established how to style the hair. In the army, you understand, everything should be uniform. We are building a single “box”. We tried to make the hairstyles look feminine, neat and formal. We decided to tie our hair in a knot at the back of our head. Almost all of our girls have long hair. If someone did not have enough hair length, they pinned a small chignon. Last year I had a short haircut, this year I specially grew my hair.
As for the makeup, we decided that it should be natural. So that there is nothing pretentious. So that everything looks aesthetically pleasing. No bright lipstick, shadows or winged eyeliner. We also decided not to use foundation so that it would not accidentally fall off and ruin the shape.

Did you march with an expanded team this year?
- Last year we had a small “box”, a hundred female cadets and a reduced command group. This year, the parade already featured two full-fledged women’s “boxes” of 200 people each and an expanded command group.
- What positions will the female cadets participating in the parade then serve in?
- At the Military University of the Ministry of Defense, girls at the Faculty of Finance and Economics receive the specialty “Economic Security”, at the Faculty of Foreign Languages - the specialty of translators. Our cadets study about 30 foreign languages. The customer determines in what year and how many specialists we need in a particular foreign language.
The Volsk Military Institute of Material Support trains chiefs of clothing services. The girls will further provide the troops with logistical supplies. As for the Budyonny Military Academy of Communications and the Mozhaisky Military Space Academy, the girls will later become indispensable specialists in the field of information and telecommunications.
“Are we cold?” - “No way!”
- Victory Day on May 9, 2017 was the coldest day in the last 50 years. Didn't flinch during the Ice Age?
- We were allowed to enter Red Square in insulated jackets. But at 9.40 a command came, the peacoats were packed and taken away. We remained in full dress uniform. I reminded the girls that during the war, our grandfathers and great-grandfathers fought in 40-degree frosts, slept in the snow, and sat in ambush for days. We only had to hold out for a little while. We had this dialogue:
- Aviation cannot operate in such conditions. Can we?
- Yes sir! - the girls answered in unison.
-Are we cold?
- No way!
- Were you able to see something when you were walking along Red Square?
- Last year there was such excitement that I saw practically nothing. It felt like the “start” button was pressed and I went... This year I saw absolutely everything. When we walked past the stands, the veterans smiled at us, got up from their seats, and gave us a military salute. Those who could not get up waved their hands from their seats. We felt endless gratitude to them, at the same time we were proud that we became one of the 10 thousand participants in the parade... Words cannot express what we felt then. The female officers who took part in the Victory Parade this year later told me: “We couldn’t understand you until we ourselves were on Red Square.”

What kind of medals were on the jackets of the female cadets?
- Medals of participants in the Victory Parade on Red Square. This is a departmental medal of the Ministry of Defense. The women officers walked with their medals. Pinned on my jacket was a medal of the Order “For Merit to the Fatherland”, II degree, “For Distinction in Military Service” of all degrees, as well as “For Strengthening the Military Community”, since we provide training - including foreign personnel - and We accompany foreign delegations.
- Did they leave the uniform for you as a souvenir?
- This is clothing that should be stored in a warehouse.
- Last year, the British press reacted in a very unique way to the appearance of a parade squad of female soldiers at the Victory Parade. In particular, The Daily Mirror newspaper suspected the President of Russia of trying to “stun the enemy with an army of miniskirts.”
“We understood that we would be the highlight of the parade, because women soldiers marched in formation for the first time on May 9 along Red Square. But, frankly speaking, we did not expect such a reaction from the Western media. I don’t understand how they saw miniskirts in our uniform? They were just above the knee, strictly the standard length. On the first day, when they started sending me links to these publications, I, frankly, was scared and even thought that we might be punished. Then I realized that this was some kind of tactical move. It became clear: if they didn’t notice our super technique, which has no analogues in the world, but paid attention to our knees, then we were great.
- How did your relatives and friends react to your appearance on Red Square?
- I was bombarded with messages and emails. Everyone was happy for me and proud of me. After all, I lived all the time in military aviation camps with access control. First in the Far East, then in Monino, in the Moscow region. My dad, Anatoly Ivanovich, is a long-range aviation navigator, now a retired colonel. He went through his career from a cadet at a military aviation school to a professor at the Gagarin Air Force Academy. It was he who named me Olesya in honor of the heroine of the story by Alexander Kuprin. My older brother Ruslan is a ground navigator. As a child, I wanted to become a military pilot. When I graduated from school, the DOSAAF system had already collapsed. But the dream of becoming an officer remained. At school, in my application form, I honestly wrote about my dream of flying. My parents were called to school because I didn’t take the survey seriously. When in high school I began to fill out a candidate’s educational file for admission to a military university at the military registration and enlistment office, my teacher realized that I wasn’t joking when I filled out the form.

Nowadays the enrollment of girls in military universities is widespread, but 23 years ago this was a novelty. When my mother said that there is only one military university, the Military Academy of Economics, Finance and Law, where girls are accepted, I just asked: “What subjects should I take?” And I began to study English persistently. And I practically learned the Constitution by heart. And yet she put on her shoulder straps! She entered the military law faculty, where they trained lawyers with knowledge of a foreign language. Graduated from the academy with honors. Later she was a legal adviser in a military unit, which was subordinate to the chemical troops, and traveled to the courts.
- Was it difficult to work in a male team?
“As a lieutenant, I felt a certain distrust and dissatisfaction on the part of the male officers. Every day I had to prove that I was in my place and not inferior to them. I remember we had professional training, we took tests and standards. I knew all the regulations, the protection of state secrets, and at the shooting range I hit targets better than some combatants. Again, she was the fastest to put on and take off the OZK (combined arms protective kit). In many respects, she turned out to be better than her male colleagues. And the attitude towards me changed.
Then I returned to my native Military University, where there was a legal service. At that time there were no available positions, so I began working in the training department. She passed all positions - from assistant to deputy head of the educational department.
Now, after 23 years of service, I no longer have to prove anything. There are people around me who know me well from my work. Tasks are set and they are always fulfilled in good faith.
My parents continue to live in the aviation town in Monino. Although now it is no longer a closed city and the Gagarin Air Force Academy is no longer there. After the Victory Parade, when mom and dad were walking through the city, friends approached them and everyone considered it their duty to report that they saw me on Red Square. Mom jokingly admitted: “I don’t know how I didn’t burst with pride.”
At school, boys and girls also ran up to my son and asked: “Was it your mother who walked in the Victory Parade? Was it really her? Egor is 10 years old. I'm not insisting that he become an officer. But after May 9, he told me: “I’ll probably become a military man after all.”

Are you so slim, fit, have you been playing sports all your life?
- I don’t have any sports ranks. Moreover, as a child I was plump. My mother enrolled me in ballet, and a few months later she was called and told that I was not constitutionally suitable for these classes. Then, already in my teens, I became very tall. Life in a military town took its toll, where our whole family took part in all military sports events. And our physical education classes were held outside all year round.
Now at the Military University we undergo physical fitness tests four times a year. We rent everything out honestly, no one “draws” anything on us. We play sports for ourselves, and also to be an example for female cadets. When they take physical training, I’m not ashamed to say that I am better in some aspects of preparation.
- Have you ever taken part in a beauty contest?
- I had neither the time nor the desire for this.
- Is the fallen popularity a hindrance or an inspiration?
- To be honest, I don’t feel any popularity. I'm at work all day, they've known me here for many years. When I come home, I try to spend more time with my son. On weekends, my friends and I take the children and go to an exhibition, to the theater or to the skating rink.
- Do you have time for hobbies?
- I am actively involved in alpine skiing and karting. Our whole family also loves to sing. My brother can pick up any melody on the fly, both on the guitar and on the piano, and now he has even mastered the harmonica. I also graduated from music school at one time. We even sing in the car when we go to the country. We also like to go to karaoke with friends.
...Olesya Buka is a real colonel. And now it will go down in history. She became the first to lead a “women’s battalion” across Red Square. The whole world saw that the Russian army is not only polite, but also beautiful!

Forty-five thousand women serve under contract in the modern Russian Armed Forces. Female military personnel, as representatives of the excellent part of the personnel are officially called in the RF Armed Forces, perform military duty on an equal basis with men in the positions of soldiers, sailors, sergeants, foremen, warrant officers, midshipmen and officers in all branches and branches of the RF Armed Forces. 8 March 2017, 14:58

Today at the combat post

In the modern Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, according to the Russian military department, there are forty-five thousand women holding military ranks. At the same time, the number of, so to speak, female military presence increases every year. Thus, in 2016, more than 400 Russian women entered military service.

Currently, there are more than 150 specialties that are available to women in the Russian Armed Forces. As the Ministry of Defense clarified, the majority of female military personnel are represented in communications units, clothing, food and medical services, and in military educational institutions.

Photo: Mikhail Sevastyanov / RIA Novosti

“Given your commitment, scrupulousness and thoroughness with which you approach your duties, you are indispensable in the army. Today, in general, we have 326 thousand women in the Armed Forces, both civilian personnel and those who wear shoulder straps. Together with men, they carry, on the one hand, an honorable burden, on the other, a difficult burden,” said Russian Defense Minister Army General Sergei Shoigu, congratulating the women at the Moscow Central Academic Theater of the Russian Army on March 6.

Separately, he conveyed words of gratitude to “the women and girls who are on combat duty today, especially those who are working today in distant Syria, performing enormous tasks to ensure the counter-terrorism operation and providing assistance to the population, medical assistance to everyone who needs it.”

History of women's military presence

Women have been familiar with military labor since ancient times. In China, they served as the emperor's bodyguards. In the ancient Greek city-states, as part of military units, they took part in military campaigns on an equal basis with men.

True, for example, the philosopher Plato believed that representatives of the fairer sex were needed in battles not as warriors, but for psychological support of the troops. Apparently, he foresaw the creation of an institute of military psychologists.

In Russia, the military regulations of 1716 allowed women to serve in military hospitals as civilian workers. But even before the official permission of Emperor Peter the Great, they were present in the Russian army, in particular in its combat units. Their names, unfortunately, are forgotten.

In contrast to the personality of the participant in the Patriotic War of 1812, headquarters captain Nadezhda Durova, the legendary “cavalry maiden”, who is considered one of the first female officers of the Russian Army and the prototype of the main character of the feature film “The Hussar Ballad”.

Russian women fought on the battlefields and served in support units during the First World War. In the spring of 1917, the first exclusively female combat formation was formed in Russia - the infantry shock battalion of death under the command of Lieutenant Maria Bochkareva.

By October of the same year, the women's Naval Team, the Minsk Guard Squad, the Petrograd Cavalry Regiment, the First Petrograd, Second Moscow, and Third Kuban women's battalions were formed.

During the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945, about half a million Soviet women were drafted into the Red Army and Navy. This figure will increase significantly if we take into account everyone who worked selflessly in hospitals, fought for their homeland in partisan detachments and underground behind enemy lines.

Three aviation regiments were formed as women's - the 46th Guards Night Bomber, the 125th Guards Bomber and the 586th Air Defense Fighter Regiment; separate female company of sailors; separate women's volunteer rifle brigade; Central Women's Sniper School; separate women's reserve rifle regiment.

Heroes of the weaker sex

In our country, 95 women became Heroes of the Soviet Union; Heroes of the Russian Federation - 16.

Ninety women were awarded the Gold Hero Star and the Order of Lenin during the Great Patriotic War. More than half of them were awarded the highest title of the USSR posthumously.

The first Hero of the Soviet Union during the Great Patriotic War was Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya, a reconnaissance saboteur at the headquarters of the Western Front, who died while performing a combat mission during the defense of Moscow in December 1941.

In the post-war period, the first female cosmonaut, Aviation Major General Valentina Tereshkova, was awarded this title. The only woman twice Hero of the Soviet Union was also pilot-cosmonaut Colonel Svetlana Savitskaya.

Valentina Tereshkova training before the flight. Photo: RIA Novosti

From translators

The only woman currently serving in the Russian army is Elena Knyazeva, a graduate of the Red Banner Military Institute of the USSR Ministry of Defense. Nowadays this military university is called the Military University. Doctor of Philology, Professor Major General Knyazeva - Deputy Head of the University for educational and scientific work. At her previous place of military service, she served as head of the main directorate for international military cooperation of the Russian Ministry of Defense.

By the way, most of the few female colonels are also graduates of VKIMO-VU.

VKIMO began training female military translators by decision of the head of the Soviet defense department, Marshal of the Soviet Union Andrei Grechko. At that time, students of this university wore blue uniforms of civil aviation flight attendants, which suggested to the potential enemy the idea of training Soviet military intelligence officers within the walls of the military institute.

This was not so: not all graduates went to serve in intelligence and counterintelligence. Some of them, after serving as military translators, became, for example, military journalists. One of them, Elena Vorobyova, remains the only female colonel in the military media.

In modern Russia, the recruitment of girls to the Military University was opened by the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, Army General Pavel Grachev. At first they were graduated as lawyers with knowledge of foreign languages. Then they began training translators and other military specialists there again.

Today, in addition to universities, girls are recruited by the Military Academy of Logistics and Transport, military universities of the Navy, Aerospace Forces, Airborne Forces, and Signal Corps. The competition among applicants is 15–20 people per place.

By the way, on May 9, 2016, for the first time in the history of modern Russia, a parade of female cadets of the Military University and the Military Academy of Logistics and Transport passed through Red Square under the command of the deputy head of the department of languages and culture of the peoples of the CIS and Russia of the VU, Colonel Olesya Buk. They marched in a new type of military uniform, dazzling white - very similar to the dress uniform No. 1 of the officers of the Russian Navy.

At the 2017 Victory Parade, military personnel of the fair sex will again march through the main square of Russia with the same crew commander.

Female students of VKIMO USSR. Photo: archive of the Military University

Dynasties

Olesya Buka is the daughter of a military navigator, professor at the Gagarin Air Force Academy, colonel. Granddaughter of front-line soldiers. Most female officers have roughly the same pedigree and give their fathers and grandfathers justifiable reason to be proud.

For example, military psychologist Major Ksenia Sudirova, who recently returned from a business trip to Syria, continues the military dynasty and the work of her father - the former head of the coastal forces of the Russian Navy, Lieutenant General Igor Starcheus.

After graduating from a civilian university, she went to serve in the air assault battalion of the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet, where her father once served. Then she headed the psychological center of the Pacific Fleet. Major Sudirova went on a business trip to Syria from Moscow - as an officer of the National Defense Management Center of the Russian Federation.

Military psychologists are always ready to travel to war. Thus, the head of the center for psychological work of the Black Sea Fleet, captain of the third rank Svetlana Kharitonova, visited Syrian Khmeimim twice as part of a mobile group of specialists. Based on the experience gained, she prepares methodological recommendations for organizing work in combat conditions. Kharitonov was nominated for the Suvorov Medal.

Military medicine, like psychology, is the field of application of numerous female military forces. And here military dynasties continue gloriously. A visible beautiful example of such a continuation is Candidate of Medical Sciences, Colonel of the Medical Service Elena Shpak, the daughter of the former commander of the Russian Airborne Forces, Colonel General Georgy Shpak. By the way, everyone in this family was either a military man or a doctor.

And the beauties in uniform received the most compliments. This year, the girl cadets from the Military University of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation and the Volsky Military Institute of Material Support were joined by smart beauties from the Budyonny Military Academy of Communications and the Mozhaisky Military Space Academy.

The "Women's Battalion" with its impeccable bearing and precise marching step eclipsed anti-aircraft missile systems and tanks and even the latest Arctic equipment.

We talked about how the preparations for the parade went, about the parade step in a skirt and the decline in popularity with Colonel Olesya Buka, who for the second year at the Victory Parade heads the combined parade squad of female military personnel.

The beauties in uniform received the most compliments at the parade.

She does not hide the fact that she is 40 years old. He's even proud of his age. Olesya Anatolyevna has 23 years of service behind her. At the Military University of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, she is deputy head of the department of languages and cultures of the peoples of the CIS and Russia. She also acts as the executive secretary of the admissions committee.

- Olesya, how did you find out that you were entrusted with such a responsible role?

Last year, when the Minister of Defense decided to allow female soldiers to participate in the Victory Parade, the relevant documents arrived at the Military University. And the management began to discuss who to entrust the training of cadets. The head of one of the faculties, who was directly involved in preparing the parade squad, asked me: “Would you like to lead the formation?” I immediately blurted out: “I would really like to!” When I myself was a cadet at the Military Academy of Economics, Finance and Law, as our university was previously called, we could not even dream about this. To be honest, I didn’t believe then that we would be able to meet these requirements, that we would be able to keep up with the guys in the ranks. And in 2016 this became possible. My candidacy was approved. The deputy head of the university called and said: “Get ready and go to the parade ground.” The decision was made very quickly. The cadets began walking at the Alabino training ground near Moscow on March 29. And at that time we had just made the decision to create a women’s “box”. It was necessary to urgently start training.

- How were female cadets selected to participate in the Victory Parade?

We have already selected them. Those girls who enter military universities are very motivated and purposeful. They have higher USE results and are well prepared physically. If they became cadets, it means they earned the right to wear shoulder straps. So each of them was worthy to march as part of the combined parade squad on May 9 across Red Square. And the girls did not disappoint. They showed maximum diligence in drill training.

Colonel Olesya Buka.

- Were there those who dropped out?

There were girls who lacked endurance, discipline, and for some, physical capabilities. But there were only a few of them.

- How was the training?

We studied every day for two hours, or even more. It was really hard. When you walk from the beginning to the end of the parade ground, perspiration appears on your back. And this is only in one pass. But we persisted in achieving a single kick. The training took place to the sound of a drum. At the moment when the big drum hit, the left foot should have touched the surface of the ground. First, we honed the step at a slower rhythm, so that later at a higher rhythm we could walk more harmoniously and efficiently.

- The weather this year obviously hasn’t been kind to you...

We had to walk in the snow and in the rain. At one of the training sessions in Alabino, when we shouted: “I wish you good health, Comrade Minister of Defense! Hurray, hurray, hurray! - hail flew into our mouths.

I attended all drill classes and walked along the parade ground with the girls. I often heard people say to me: “Comrade Colonel, you don’t have to go.” I answered: “You don’t understand, the girls should see that if I can do this, then they don’t have the right to complain and say that it’s hard for them.” That’s why I went, and I wasn’t ashamed to demand that they take a coordinated step and not whine in bad weather.

Last year, veterans came to our training, we sang the song “Come on, girls!” to them. This year we learned a song that suited the weather: “The morning greets us with coolness...” The veterans cried, remembering their youth.

Olesya Buki has 23 years of service behind her.

“I’m glad that female soldiers have a decent headdress”

- Is the marching step in a skirt somewhat different?

Yes, we walk differently in skirts, our marching steps are a little different. The military guys from the 154th Separate Commandant's Preobrazhensky Regiment, like our cadets from the Military University, walk in a very correct, classic marching step, when the toe is lifted up, then straightened and the foot is placed on the full foot. If a girl walks with her sock up, it will be unaesthetic and ugly. We walk with our toes pointed out. Because we are girls in skirts. This is only a slight deviation from the drill regulations.

Our skirts are straight, but not tapered. This year we were treated to numerous fittings. And we asked to make the skirts loose so that you could walk in them. I later looked at the recordings of the Victory Parade on Red Square and was convinced that even in skirts we walked with good, wide marching steps.

It has been actively discussed on the forums that your dress uniform bears a clear resemblance to the one worn by female soldiers in the parade in China.

Externally, it looks exactly the same as our traditional dress uniform. This is a women's jacket and straight skirt. Another thing is that the Minister of Defense chose white for the especially ceremonial women's uniform. We liked it. Of course, everyone understood how easily soiled he was. There were many parades both on the university grounds and on Red Square. And we, of course, took care of our uniforms and hats.

- Many people noted your original headdress. Was the cap more comfortable than the cap?

The cap is very convenient to wear under a helmet in battle. This is not a formal, but an everyday headdress. All my life, while in the Armed Forces, I wore a cap, and I cannot say that it is very comfortable. I always had to secure it with bobby pins to keep the cap from falling off my head. The cap sits very firmly on the head. And her design is very beautiful. I have always envied that men have a cap, but we don’t. So I’m glad that female soldiers have a decent headdress.

- Did you also have your high-heeled boots made to order?

Yes, measurers came to us and took our measurements. The boots had a 3-centimeter heel. According to the drill regulations, the leg must stand on a full foot. And the wide, stable heel was very comfortable for walking, including on paving stones. We didn’t have horseshoes, we didn’t “ring.” We were required to have alignment, beauty and a smile.

- Were there any requirements for hairstyles and makeup?

Initially, it was established how to style the hair. In the army, you understand, everything should be uniform. We are building a single “box”. We tried to make the hairstyles look feminine, neat and formal. We decided to tie our hair in a knot at the back of our head. Almost all of our girls have long hair. If someone did not have enough hair length, they pinned a small chignon. Last year I had a short haircut, this year I specially grew my hair.

As for the makeup, we decided that it should be natural. So that there is nothing pretentious. So that everything looks aesthetically pleasing. No bright lipstick, shadows or winged eyeliner. We also decided not to use foundation so that it would not accidentally fall off and ruin the shape.

- Did you march with an expanded team this year?

Last year we had a small “box”, a hundred female cadets and a reduced command group. This year, the parade already featured two full-fledged women’s “boxes” of 200 people each and an expanded command group.

- What positions will the female cadets participating in the parade then serve in?

At the Military University of the Ministry of Defense, girls at the Faculty of Finance and Economics receive the specialty "Economic Security", and at the Faculty of Foreign Languages - the specialty of translators. Our cadets study about 30 foreign languages. The customer determines in what year and how many specialists we need in a particular foreign language.

The Volsk Military Institute of Material Support trains chiefs of clothing services. The girls will further provide the troops with logistical supplies. As for the Budyonny Military Academy of Communications and the Mozhaisky Military Space Academy, the girls will later become indispensable specialists in the field of information and telecommunications.

“Are we cold?” - “No way!”

- Victory Day on May 9, 2017 was the coldest day in the last 50 years. Didn't flinch during the Ice Age?

We were allowed to enter Red Square wearing insulated jackets. But at 9.40 a command came, the peacoats were packed and taken away. We remained in full dress uniform. I reminded the girls that during the war, our grandfathers and great-grandfathers fought in 40-degree frosts, slept in the snow, and sat in ambush for days. We only had to hold out for a little while. We had this dialogue:

Aviation cannot operate in such conditions. Can we?

Yes sir! - the girls answered in unison.

Are we cold?

No way!

- Were you able to see something when you were walking along Red Square?

Last year there was such excitement that I saw practically nothing. It felt like the “start” button was pressed and I went... This year I saw absolutely everything. When we walked past the stands, the veterans smiled at us, got up from their seats, and gave us a military salute. Those who could not get up waved their hands from their seats. We felt endless gratitude to them, at the same time we were proud that we became one of the 10 thousand participants in the parade... Words cannot express what we felt then. The female officers who took part in the Victory Parade this year later told me: “We couldn’t understand you until we ourselves were on Red Square.”

- What kind of medals were on the jackets of the female cadets?

Medals of participants in the Victory Parade on Red Square. This is a departmental medal of the Ministry of Defense. The women officers walked with their medals. Pinned on my jacket was a medal of the Order “For Merit to the Fatherland”, II degree, “For Distinction in Military Service” of all degrees, as well as “For Strengthening the Military Community”, since we provide training - including foreign personnel - and We accompany foreign delegations.

- Did they leave the uniform for you as a souvenir?

This is clothing that should be stored in a warehouse.

Last year, the British press reacted in a very unique way to the appearance of a parade squad of female soldiers at the Victory Parade. In particular, The Daily Mirror newspaper suspected the President of Russia of trying to “stun the enemy with an army of miniskirts.”

We understood that we would be the highlight of the parade, because women soldiers marched in formation for the first time on May 9 along Red Square. But, frankly speaking, we did not expect such a reaction from the Western media. I don’t understand how they saw miniskirts in our uniform? They were just above the knee, strictly the standard length. On the first day, when they started sending me links to these publications, I, frankly, was scared and even thought that we might be punished. Then I realized that this was some kind of tactical move. It became clear: if they didn’t notice our super technique, which has no analogues in the world, but paid attention to our knees, then we were great.

- How did your relatives and friends react to your appearance on Red Square?

I was bombarded with messages and emails. Everyone was happy for me and proud of me. After all, I lived all the time in military aviation camps with access control. First in the Far East, then in Monino, in the Moscow region. My dad, Anatoly Ivanovich, is a long-range aviation navigator, now a retired colonel. He went through his career from a cadet at a military aviation school to a professor at the Gagarin Air Force Academy. It was he who named me Olesya in honor of the heroine of the story by Alexander Kuprin. My older brother Ruslan is a ground navigator. As a child, I wanted to become a military pilot. When I graduated from school, the DOSAAF system had already collapsed. But the dream of becoming an officer remained. At school, in my application form, I honestly wrote about my dream of flying. My parents were called to school because I didn’t take the survey seriously. When in high school I began to fill out a candidate’s educational file for admission to a military university at the military registration and enlistment office, my teacher realized that I wasn’t joking when I filled out the form.

The parade crew took great care of their snow-white uniforms.

- Was it difficult to work in a male team?

As a lieutenant, I felt a certain distrust and dissatisfaction on the part of the male officers. Every day I had to prove that I was in my place and not inferior to them. I remember we had professional training, we took tests and standards. I knew all the regulations, the protection of state secrets, and at the shooting range I hit targets better than some combatants. Again, she was the fastest to put on and take off the OZK (combined arms protective kit). In many respects, she turned out to be better than her male colleagues. And the attitude towards me changed.

Then I returned to my native Military University, where there was a legal service. At that time there were no available positions, so I began working in the training department. She passed all positions - from assistant to deputy head of the educational department.

Now, after 23 years of service, I no longer have to prove anything. There are people around me who know me well from my work. Tasks are set and they are always fulfilled in good faith.

My parents continue to live in the aviation town in Monino. Although now it is no longer a closed city and the Gagarin Air Force Academy is no longer there. After the Victory Parade, when mom and dad were walking through the city, friends approached them and everyone considered it their duty to report that they saw me on Red Square. Mom jokingly admitted: “I don’t know how I didn’t burst with pride.”

At school, boys and girls also ran up to my son and asked: “Was it your mother who walked in the Victory Parade? Was it really her? Egor is 10 years old. I'm not insisting that he become an officer. But after May 9, he told me: “I’ll probably become a military man after all.”

- You are so slim, fit, have you been playing sports all your life?

I don't have any sports ranks. Moreover, as a child I was plump. My mother enrolled me in ballet, and a few months later she was called and told that I was not constitutionally suitable for these classes. Then, already in my teens, I became very tall. Life in a military town took its toll, where our whole family took part in all military sports events. And our physical education classes were held outside all year round.

Now at the Military University we undergo physical fitness tests four times a year. We rent everything out honestly, no one “draws” anything on us. We play sports for ourselves, and also to be an example for female cadets. When they take physical training, I’m not ashamed to say that I am better in some aspects of preparation.

- Have you ever taken part in a beauty contest?

I had neither the time nor the desire for this.

- Is the fallen popularity a hindrance or an inspiration?

Honestly, I don't feel any popularity. I'm at work all day, they've known me here for many years. When I come home, I try to spend more time with my son. On weekends, my friends and I take the children and go to an exhibition, to the theater or to the skating rink.

- Do you have time for hobbies?

I am actively involved in alpine skiing and karting. Our whole family also loves to sing. My brother can pick up any melody on the fly, both on the guitar and on the piano, and now he has even mastered the harmonica. I also graduated from music school at one time. We even sing in the car when we go to the country. We also like to go to karaoke with friends.

Olesya Buka is a real colonel. And now it will go down in history. She became the first to lead a “women’s battalion” across Red Square. The whole world saw that the Russian army is not only polite, but also beautiful!

The appearance of representatives of the fair sex at the Victory Parade on May 9 so impressed the Western media that the lion's share of attention was devoted to girls in uniform.

“Russian President Vladimir Putin unveiled his 'miniskirted army' in a sexist military parade in what appears to be a stunning attempt to stun his enemies,” British newspaper The Daily Mirror responded. “Despite the power, the show with airplanes, anti-aircraft missile systems, the excess of nuclear weapons, the female touch attracted the most attention.”

“Miniskirts are in stark contrast to the female uniforms of most Western countries, including the British and American. The women marched in neat rows in the bright sun to military music and the obvious delight of the macho president.”

Well, we realized that it was not only the Russian leader who was delighted. Whatever it is, don’t be disingenuous, gentlemen.

“For some reason, the open knees of the girls of the MTO Academy (those who command warrant officers), who walked through Red Square for the first time, plunged the islanders into shock and awe?”- writes Mikhail On.

It's funny, but this is the only thing that the British Daily Mirror describes, hissing and foaming. Why quite modest skirts in their interpretation are called minis is understandable - otherwise what would they write about? But most of all I liked the kindergarten-level argumentation - how can you wear such skirts if the armies of Western countries, well, almost all of them, don’t wear this?

We have already reported what the Daily Mirror writes in the article “Victory Day. Victory Parade 2016":