Mainstream portrayals of women in research, politics, and media during armed conflict often limit them to the roles of victims or, at best, peacemakers, disregarding their diverse and active participation. This study challenges such binary portrayals by investigating the involvement of women in armed conflict, particularly why some regions experience high levels of female combatants while others do not. It posits that close proximity to conflict enhances women's opportunities and willingness to engage in combat, leading to an increase in the fraction of female combatants relative to men. Using a comparative case study design, this research analyzes regions in southeast Ukraine based on their proximity to the Donbas conflict zone from 2014 to 2018. The empirical findings support the hypothesis, indicating that greater proximity to conflict zones increases the likelihood of female combatants. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of women's roles in armed conflicts and offer valuable insights for the field of peace and conflict studies by shedding light on the disruption of societalgender roles during times of conflict, thus revealing broader societal impacts of violence and war.