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       Out of more than 400,000 soldiers currently serving in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, about 20% are women. But majority serve in supporting roles.

       Oleksandra used to work in a bakery; today, she’s a sniper. She showcases her skills on a 100-metre range somewhere in central Ukraine. At the frontline, her targets can be more than a kilometre away. Her job takes skill and a certain mindset.

       "I see my enemy, I see the occupier who came to our land to destroy our state, our people. Nothing more," she explains.

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       Oleksandra says many still question her ability to do this because she’s a woman. Females have long served in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but few take part in combat.

       "Every woman in the army has to show that she is worthy to be in the same combat position and fight on an equal footing with a man," she adds.

       Her theory is that gender stereotypes can become self-fulfilling. As a sniper, you need to be invisible, she says. And women in general can be less emotionally driven than men, she suggests. But that’s not a view shared by many in the military.

       Ukrainian government army women soldiers patrol an area in the village of Debaltseve, Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine, Wednesday, Dec 24, 2014. Sergei Chuzavkov/AP

       Olena is also a soldier. Before the war, she was a communication trainer in Kyiv. A few months into the full-scale invasion, she signed up to join the army. She said felt she’d ignored the war for too long.

       Now Olena clears trenches with the infantry. She had to push for a frontline job has now been decorated for her courage by president Zelenskyy himself. She says she has been accepted by her peers.

       Two years into the war, as Ukraine struggles to fill the ranks, many women who want to follow her example have their own fight to win to do so.

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       During winter, the usual process of winter mixing, is when oxygen-rich surface waters blend with deeper waters, which is crucial for oxygenation and biodiversity.

       Marie-Elodie Perga, an expert in lake studies at the University of Lausanne, highlighted the significance, stating, "Overall, we achieve adequate reoxygenation down to 170 meters, but the concern lies beyond that depth. It has been 12 years since the lake bottom experienced reoxygenation through winter mixing." Urgent measures to mitigate global warming by reducing CO2 emissions are vital.

       Professional fishermen are witnessing the effects firsthand, noticing a significant increase in perch catches compared to normal times. Typically, perch spawning occurs from May onwards.

       Climate change remains worse for women and girls — but it doesn’t have to be

       While some species appear to benefit from the rising temperatures, others face threats. The ecosystem of Western Europe's largest freshwater reserve is undergoing substantial changes. Scientists, alarmed by this phenomenon, installed a platform with hundreds of sensors on the lake five years ago to conduct comprehensive analyses.

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       More than half of Vienna's 1.9 million residents live in some form of subsidised housing.

       Vienna's reputation as a beacon of social housing excellence is widely considered well-deserved; the city council owns, co-owns and manages some 50 per cent of the city's residential real estate through an array of social schemes, these initiatives have made rents affordable for tens of thousands of households.

       This decades-old tradition, which began in the 1920s, has contributed to the city's status as the world's most liveable city. But is the system as perfect and idyllic as it seems?

       Recent developments have raised concerns; critics point to rising rent prices, ever-increasing waiting lists, a diminishing share of social housing in the real estate market after a long period of low-interest rates, and subsequent increases in private property ownership.

       Euronews reporter Julian Lopez travelled to Austria's capital for Euronews Witness to see what's behind the facade.

       A tenant's paradise

       Administrative assistant Tesbire Keskin gave Euronews a tour of her 70 m2 apartment where she has lived with her family for almost 20 years. She pays €500 per month and enjoys a quality of life beyond market standards in her centrally-located flat. "The kindergarten is right opposite me, the school is a ten-minute walk. In two minutes, I'm at the underground," she explained.

       "When my children were small and I couldn't get home from work, the neighbours picked them up from kindergarten. It's very nice here; it is green, quiet. I'm very happy, satisfied."

       Tesbire Keskin, a social housing tenant living in Vienna Euronews

       Representatives from the city council also showed Euronews around some of Vienna's oldest social buildings. Unlike Berlin and other European cities with high rates of private landownership, the former capital of the vast Austro-Hungarian Empire never sold off its public land.

       Vienna's annual budget for social housing hovers above €400 million, exceeding those of bigger EU capitals like Rome, Madrid or Lisbon.

       "Our housing model is secured and financed by a housing tax that every Austrian pays," said Christian Schantl, the Head of International Relations at Wiener Wohnen-Vienna Living.

       "It is a small contribution from their gross income. The employer also makes a small contribution, and this money is specifically intended for housing construction throughout Austria."

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       The winds of change

       While Vienna is the pioneer of inclusive housing strategies, the city is also grappling with evolving housing dynamics and an increasing demand for social housing in addition, a prolonged period of low interest rates has worked in the favour of private developers.

       Experts at the NGO Volkshilfe, which helps homeless people access social housing, argue that decades ago, 80 per cent of new developments were social and 20 per cent private. But now, the tables have turned.

       "We used to have two thirds of all apartments built by social housing, ten or fifteen years ago. Now it is the other way around. Two thirds of all apartments are being built by private investors. The result is higher housing prices, of course. We should try to turn it around again," Martin Orner, the Head of the NGO's Housing Policy Department, told Euronews.

       Due to inflation, the cost of land, materials and maintenance costs have also skyrocketed, putting further pressure on social housing.

       "The main solution would be to get more land and more opportunities to build social housing," suggested Orner.

       A century-old tradition Lilli Bauer, Co-curator of the 'Red Vienna' Exhibition Euronews

       As the city continues to navigate the challenges of a changing real estate landscape, the spirit of 'Red Vienna' persists - a period in the 1920s and '30s when Austria's Social Democratic Workers' Party introduced a social housing construction program in response to severe housing shortages.

       Today, a permanent exhibition on this era serves as a reminder of the transformative power of social housing in shaping communities and fostering inclusivity. Euronews spoke with the curators, who maintain that this housing model has helped create the city's unique cultural and social character, which continues to influence the present.

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       "It was a city within a city and people hardly had to leave their residence because everything was available, including doctors' surgeries, shops and so on," explained Lilli Bauer, the exhibition's co-curator.

       "At the time, there were even tuberculosis care centres in those municipal buildings. Similarly, during the pandemic, there were COVID-19 testing and vaccination centres. They were all very decentralised and spread across the city, and easy to access," she added.

       Despite its limitations, Vienna stands as a testament to the enduring impact of progressive housing policies, the city council maintains it will continue to subsidise between 5,000 and 7,000 new flats every year.

       For Julian's full report click on the video in the media player above.