Ukraine: women troops dig their (high) heels in

Ukrainian authorities become embroiled in controversy after pictures showed women soldiers practising for a parade in heels.

Ukrainian female soldiers wearing heels while taking part in a military parade rehearsal in Kiev.

Plans to make women soldiers march in black high heels have caused outrage in Ukraine.

The row broke out after the defence ministry published photographs showing the soldiers, wearing combat fatigues and heels, rehearsing for a parade next month to mark 30 years of independence from Moscow. Each rehearsal lasts four hours.

“For the first time, training has taken place in heeled shoes,” Ivanna Medvida, a cadet, was cited as saying by the defence ministry.

“It is slightly harder than in army boots but we are trying.”

Elena Kondratyuk, the deputy speaker of parliament, said the authorities should publicly apologise for “humiliating” the soldiers and called for an investigation.

Ukrainian authorities found themselves under fire over their idea of making female soldiers marching with court shoes instead of combat boots during a military parade scheduled for August. The scandal erupted after the Defense Ministry released photos of a rehearsal of the parade to be held to mark the 30th anniversary of Ukraine's independence on August 24.

Others said it was “torture” to make women march in heels. More than 31,000 women serve in the Ukrainian armed forces and more than 10,000 have taken part in fighting against Kremlin-backed separatists in the east of the country.

“They do not deserve to be mocked,” Inna Sovsun, of the opposition Golos party, said. Vitaly Portnikov, a journalist, called the order to march in heels a “real disgrace” that betrayed the “medieval” mindset of some Ukranian officials.

The Ukrainian Defence ministry press-service photos of the Ukrainian female soldiers wearing heels.

The Ukrainian defence ministry initially defended the shoes, saying that the “parade uniform” differed from combat dress. However, Andriy Taran, the defence minister, later said he had listened to the soldiers’ comments and that changes to their footwear could be introduced before the August 24 parade.

The Times