Now Ukraine have another footy battle to worry about! Sexism row after female Ukrainian soldiers are forced to march in high HEELS
Soldiers have long complained their hardy military footwear batter their feet when they march.
But female troops in Ukraine may have more reason to grumble after pictures emerged of them wearing high heels for a parade.
Top brass have raised eyebrows after they released the images showing the women in fatigues and the mid-heel black wedges during practice.
The country is preparing for a march next month to mark 30 years of independence following the Soviet Union's breakup.
Cadet Ivanna Medvid was quoted by the defence ministry's information site ArmiaInform as saying: 'Today, for the first time, training takes place in heeled shoes.'
She added in comments released on Thursday: 'It is slightly harder than in army boots but we are trying.'
Top brass have raised eyebrows after they released the images showing the women in fatigues and the mid-heel black wedges during practice
The choice of footwear was mocked and criticised online and in Parliament and some claimed the women soldiers had been sexualised.
'The story of a parade in heels is a real disgrace,' commentator Vitaly Portnikov said on Facebook, arguing that some Ukrainian officials had a 'medieval' mindset.
Another commentator, Maria Shapranova, accused the defence ministry of 'sexism and misogyny.'
'High heels is a mockery of women imposed by the beauty industry,' she fumed.
The country is preparing for a march next month to mark 30 years of independence following the Soviet Union's breakup
Several Ukrainian lawmakers close to Ukraine's former president Petro Poroshenko showed up in parliament with pairs of shoes and encouraged the defence minister to wear high heels to the parade.
'It is hard to imagine a more idiotic, harmful idea,' said Inna Sovsun, a member of the Golos party, pointing to health risks.
She also said Ukraine's women soldiers - like men - were risking their lives and 'do not deserve to be mocked'.
The choice of footwear was mocked and criticised online and in Parliament and some claimed the women soldiers had been sexualised
Several Ukrainian lawmakers close to Ukraine's former president Petro Poroshenko showed up in parliament with pairs of shoes and encouraged the defence minister to wear high heels to the parade. Pictured: Female soldiers in their normal footwear
Ukraine has been battling Russian-backed separatists in the country's industrial east, in a conflict that has killed more than 13,000 people since 2014.
Olena Kondratyuk, deputy speaker of the legislature said authorities should publicly apologise for 'humiliating' women and conduct an enquiry.
Kondratyuk said more than 13,500 women had fought in the current conflict. More than 31,000 women serve in the Ukrainian armed forces, including 4,000 officers.
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