Members of the government are putting pressure on Ukraine’s defense minister over their decision to allow female military cadets to wear heels and pumps at an important parade.
“The purpose of any military parade should be to show the military capability of the army. Three Cabinet members, Yulia Laputina, Minister of Veterans Affairs, and Yulia Leputina made a joint statement.
This statement came after last week’s announcement regarding the footwear for the Aug. 24 parade, the 30th anniversary Ukraine’s independence from the Soviet Union.
It was noted that 57,000 women are serving in the country’s armed force and have “proved their worth not in heels but with machine guns.”
On Saturday, Defense Minister Andriy Tarian stated that he had ordered officials to investigate whether “experimental shoes” — such as ankle boots — could be worn instead of pumps with heels by female cadets.
The military did not provide any explanation for why female cadets wore a different shoe to male cadets.