Ukraine developing new shoes for female military personnel after scandal over images of soldiers practicing marches in high heels

The Ukrainian Defense Ministry has developed a new model of shoes for female military personnel participating in the country’s Independence Day parade after a high-profile scandal erupted over women being forced to march in heels.

“We developed a new model of shoes during the past week,” the country’s Defense Minister Andrey Taran told a government meeting on Wednesday. 

“They have laces, and this means that they won’t fall off the foot while walking,” Taran said, explaining that the heel was also made much smaller.

The decision to change the shoe was made after a scandal erupted on the internet, with some claiming that the outfits which the female soldiers were forced to wear were demeaning. One MP in particular, Elena Kondratyuk, called it a “disgrace.” Another MP, Aleksey Zhmerenetsky, asked why the personnel were “dressed like carnival dolls to entertain the crowd.”

Initially, the Defense Ministry refused to back down, noting that the soldiers would look “beautiful and strong” on Independence Day. A few days later, however, the government appears to have changed its mind.

According to Taran, he spoke to some women serving in the army who told him that the shoes were uncomfortable and had too high of a heel. That encouraged him to approve adjustments to the shoes, he said.

Following the scandal, the Ministry of Defense posted on Facebook, noting that many other countries also require their female soldiers to wear high heels.

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