They are known as vidma in Ukrainian folklore, a word often translated as “witch” but rooted in the concept of knowledge and wisdom. A report by The Atlantic detailing Ukraine’s underground resistance network has revealed the growing role of female operatives in gathering intelligence on Russian forces in occupied territories and helping direct drone strikes against military targets.According to a detailed account, Ukrainian women now form the backbone of many intelligence-gathering operations in Russian-occupied areas, where open acts of defiance have largely disappeared under intense surveillance, interrogations and the threat of torture. Resistance leaders told the publication that female operatives are often able to move more freely than men, working in schools, clinics, government offices and even aid organisations while quietly passing information to Ukrainian handlers.“Women are crucial to the Ukrainian resistance. They can go places, do things, that men cannot,” Petro Andriushchenko, who coordinates agents in occupied Mariupol, was quoted as saying. “Also, they are ruthless.”The intelligence collected by these operatives has become a key component of Ukraine’s so-called “middle-strike” campaign, a sustained drone offensive targeting Russian command posts, logistics hubs, air-defence systems and troop concentrations behind the front line. Resistance members identify locations, verify coordinates and relay information through encrypted channels before Ukrainian forces launch strikes.One example cited in the report involved a Ukrainian intelligence officer posing online as a lonely woman who developed a relationship with a Chechen commander stationed in occupied Ukraine. During their exchanges, the commander allegedly shared a photograph from inside a military barracks. A map visible in the background revealed the unit’s location, which was later struck by a Ukrainian drone.As Russian surveillance capabilities have expanded across occupied territories, resistance work has become increasingly sophisticated. Operatives rely on smuggled phones, encrypted communications and compartmentalised networks designed to limit damage if an agent is captured. Many work alone and know little about the broader structure of the movement.The term vidma has become a badge of honour within some resistance circles. Former Ukrainian MP Lesia Orobets said the women were respected in Ukrainian tradition not for magic but for their knowledge. “Vidmas were wise. They understood the secrets of the surrounding environment. Here in Ukraine, our vidmas were respected for their knowledge, not burned for it.”For Ukrainian commanders, these “witches” have become a vital link in a war increasingly fought through intelligence and drones rather than conventional battlefield assaults. As one resistance leader put it, the goal is simple. “Our goal is to make sure Russian soldiers never reach the front line.”
