Ukraine’s youngest deputy interior minister, Anastasia Deeva, who last year became embroiled in controversy after media published her erotic photoshoots, has decided to raise money for charity by auctioning a private breakfast to the most generous bidder.
The unusual auction lot appeared on ProZorro.sale, Ukraine’s public e-procurement system, on June 12, as part of #reformer charity campaign. Those who want to meet the youngest-ever minister in the history of the Ukrainian government, need to place their bid no later than June 28, with the auction to be held the next day. The minimum bid price is set at 100UAH, the equivalent of just $3.80.
Two photos of the deputy minister serve as auction documentation to be downloaded by the aspiring bidders. One of the images is that of a smiling Deeva wearing round spectacles and is titled “cool.jpg.”
The rendezvous is to take place in Kiev within a month after the auction and is subject to prior agreement between the parties, the lot’s description says. All funds, raised at the auction, will be spent on the purchase of artificial pulmonary ventilation devices for a private children’s hospital.
“We assure you, that no other country has charming reformers in such a high concentration,” ProZorro.sale writes on Facebook, touting the lot.
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The post has sparked a heated discussion, with some pointing to apparent “sexism” in a way the lot was introduced, with others mocking the idea wondering: “Why only breakfast?” and asking what exactly the meeting will include. Some cast doubt that Deeva will be able to raise enough money to buy at least several devices.
Responding to the backlash, Deeva fired back at her critics, saying: “You can always pour dirt, or you can just do a good deed and save the child’s life. The choice is always yours.
“I think charity is an integral part of our life, like sports, education or work,” she wrote in a Facebook post, adding that she is “not offended by the level of discussion in the comments section.”
Deeva’s abrupt and unexpected rise to the top ranks of the Ukrainian government in November last year, when she was appointed a deputy interior minister for European integration at the age of 24, left many citizens puzzled.
Following the announcement that a glamorous-looking young woman with no prior experience at ministerial level had been appointed to a senior post on a non-competitive basis, social media erupted, with many doubting whether Deeva is fit for the job.
Deeva then found herself at the center of another social media storm after erotic photos of her were leaked online. As the scandal was making headlines, Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov defended his decision to make her his deputy and slammed Deeva’s critics as “hypocrites.”
“It is worth understanding that some functions in this complex system, which is the Ministry of Internal Affairs, are better performed by a 24-year-old or 30-year-old, than by a 50-year-old like me. This is normal and this works,” he wrote at the time. He also claimed that some of the leaked photos were fakes.
Responding to the flood of offensive comments, Deeva herself said that “no person deserves to be bullied like this.”