Ilona has known war for her entire adult life.
When Russia invaded the east in 2014, she and her friends became volunteers to deliver aid. Now aged 25, she Is a private in Ukraine's Territorial Defence Force and awaiting deployment to the front lines.
"I'm pretty sure that it's going to happen in [the] near future," she told 7.30.
"That's why I spent every minute training."
Ilona was educated as a social worker, intending to care for people and make their lives better.
Now she spends her days training to shoot and to take lives, if necessary.
"I didn't register and mobilise to kill people," she said.
"I mobilised because I love my people. And I'm ready to defend my country.
"So even if I will have to shoot the enemy, I will do it with the love [for] my country and my people."
A history of working with veterans
For the past five years, Ilona has worked with veterans of Ukraine's conflict.
She even visited Australia as part of Ukraine's official team for the Invictus Games in 2018 — a memory that makes her break out into a beaming smile.
"It was a very life-changing experience," she said.
"Then [it was] the highest honour to become the team operation manager for the Ukraine [team].
"This is why I think I am so resilient now to stress, because my team taught me a lot — that there is no disability, and only capability, and how to be resilient to life."
Hometown now a front line
Ilona is from Kherson, the focus of Ukraine's most significant counteroffensive.
The port city was one of the first to fall under Russian occupation.
"It was hard to see them walking in my streets," she told 7.30.
"The Russians live and stay in the primary school and the high school that I graduated from."
Ilona is also worried for relatives who remain in her home city.
"I had my mum and my relatives there," she said.
"I just evacuated my mum last week.
"A lot of my friends began serving in 2014. They came back from the war and they went back again, and a lot of them died already — killed in action.
"Since February, I have lost about 10 of my very close friends that had combat experience."
Women joining the fight in Ukraine
Ilona is not alone in the defence forces of Ukraine.
Tens of thousands of women are already serving across all aspects of the military.
"We have a lot of women who are serving in the armed forces and Territorial Defence [Forces]," Alina Frolova, the former deputy defence minister, said.
"I think that around 25 per cent, at least, of all the forces are women … so that's [an] extremely big number."
But by October, all Ukrainian women of "fighting age" — between 18 and 60 — will have to register with the government just as men did before the war started. Those with small children will be excused.
Ms Frolova points out that despite the call for more women, the Ukrainian government is yet to mobilise all the men who registered.
That time may come soon as Ukraine attempts to achieve battlefield successes before the northern winter, along a front line that is more than 1,000 kilometres long.
Ukraine's government is aware its arms suppliers in Europe and the US are suffering economically because of this war.
"It's critical to gain substantial victories before December, let's say before the end of the year, to demonstrate that this war can be ended up with a military operation that Ukrainians will win," Ms Frolova said.
"And that is why, for us, it's quite critical [and] important to have the necessary weapons to make counteroffensive.
"That's quite simple, because otherwise Russia will constantly blackmail Europe with the gas, with … energy supplies, and that will influence on political fluctuations."
Ukrainians are 'willing to fight'
Director of the International Crisis Group's European program, Olga Oliker, says every attack by Russia increases Ukraine's motivation to fight.
"A large chunk of Ukraine's success, particularly in the early days, has been the massive mobilisation of the population as a whole, of Ukrainians being willing to fight, to support the fight, to do everything they possibly can do to defend their country," she said.
"You're looking at a country that probably … doubled the number of people that had armed in the course of weeks.
"Not all of them [are] effectively trained, not all of them are properly equipped, but people are willing to fight. That's huge."
Soldiers like Ilona are prepared to answer the call to the front line when it comes.
"I must warn you, there's no heroic story like I came to defend my country or die for my country," she said.
"I just didn't have a choice. There's no excuse [for] why you can't serve.
"We want to live in prosperity, free, in a developed country. Russians want us dead."
08/09/2022 Editor's note: The Ministry of Defense by its order moved the date of the beginning of the compulsory registration of women for military registration from October 1, 2022 to October 1, 2023, Deputy Minister of Defense Hanna Malyar reported.
