Military in Ukraine – “Today we are training in high heels for the first time”

1/3

Ukraine’s Defense Ministry came under fire on Friday for wanting to stage a march of female soldiers in pumps instead of combat boots at a planned military parade. The deputy speaker of parliament, Olena Kondratzhuk, called on the authorities to apologize “publicly for this humiliation” to women who “defend Ukraine’s independence with weapons in their hands”. The plan also caused outrage on the Internet.

The debate erupted due to the photos posted by the Ministry of Defense on the Facebook website. It featured young female students from a military college. At a rehearsal for parades in memory of the country’s independence on August 24, they wore camouflage clothing and black half-high pumps.

“Today we are training in high heels for the first time,” a participant was quoted Thursday on the Defense Department’s ArmiaInform information page as saying. “It’s a little more difficult than in combat boots,” said the woman, “but we’re doing our best.”

There are more than 31,000 women in the Ukrainian army, including more than 4,100 female officers. According to Parliament Speaker Kondratyuk, more than 13,500 Ukrainian women have fought against pro-Russian separatists in the east of the country since the outbreak of armed conflict seven years ago.

afp / roy

Posted today at 6:01 am01

Found an error?Report now.