Gay war veteran speaks out for equal rights in Ukraine's military

Viktor Pylypenko, a Ukrainian war veteran who fought in the country's east against pro-Russian separatists, poses for a picture with his military uniform in Kyiv, Ukraine September 1, 2021. Pylypenko came out publicly as gay in 2018 and co-founded a non-governmental organisation that supports LGBT+ people in the country's military and promotes tolerance and equal rights in the army. Picture taken September 1, 2021. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko

KYIV (Reuters) - Viktor Pylypenko has become a role model for dozens of LGBT+ Ukrainian war veterans and their supporters since he organised their participation two years ago in Kyiv's largest ever gay pride march.

Pylypenko, 34, spent almost two years from 2014 to 2016 on the frontline fighting with Kyiv's forces against Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine in a conflict that has claimed at least 14,000 lives. He came out as gay in 2018.