Fury in Ukraine after female soldiers forced to walk in high heels

Ukrainian authorities became embroiled in controversy after official images were released female soldiers practicing for a parade in heels.

Ukraine is preparing to hold a military parade next month to commemorate 30 years of independence after the breaking of the Soviet Union, and the Defense Ministry released photos of female soldiers marching in black mid-heel shoes on Friday.

“Today, for the first time, training is done with high heels“Cadet Ivanna Medvid told the Defense Ministry news site, Army Inform.

“It’s a little harder than with military boots, but we are trying, ”added Medvid.

Several Ukrainian lawmakers close to former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, they appeared in parliament with pairs of shoes and they encouraged the defense minister to wear high heels for the parade.

“It’s hard to imagine a more silly and harmful idea“said Inna Sovsun, member of the Golos party, stressing the health risks.

He also said that Ukrainian female soldiers, like men, risked their lives and “They don’t deserve to be laughed at.”

Ukraine is fighting Russian-backed separatists in the country’s industrial east, by a conflict that has claimed more than 13,000 lives since 2014.

Olena Kondratyuk, Deputy Speaker of the Legislature, said authorities should publicly apologize for “humiliating” women and conduct an investigation.

Kondratyuk said that more than 13,500 women have fought in the current conflict.

More than 31,000 women now serve in the armed forces of Ukraine, of which more than 4,000 are official.

The choice of shoes sparked a torrent of criticism on social media and in parliament, and led to accusations that female soldiers have been sexualized.

“The story of a show in heels is a real shame,” commentator Vitaly Portnikov said on Facebook, arguing that some Ukrainian officials had a “medieval” mentality.

Another commentator, Maria Shapranova, accused the Defense Ministry of “sexism and misogyny”. “The high heels they are a parody of the women imposed by the beauty industry“, wrote.

Source: The Guardian