The Defense Ministry will purchase new footwear for female cadets taking part in the military parade dedicated to the 30th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence.

Earlier, photos of female cadets training for the parade in high heels caused outrage in Ukraine.

The new footwear will have lacing. The shoes will still have heels, though they will be much smaller, according to Defense Minister Andriy Taran, as reported by a Ukrainian media outlet Babel.

Despite the decision to replace the cadets’ shoes, Taran said that he found the initial criticism to be baseless.

“The order on the uniforms for women soldiers was adopted in 2017. And these are ordinary women’s shoes for formal wear,” Taran said.

Earlier this week, Taran met with the cadets to discuss the uniform. After the meeting, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Ruslan Khomchak claimed that 99% of women soldiers had supported the decision to wear high-heeled shoes to the parade.

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More than 31,000 women now serve in Ukraine’s Armed Forces, including more than 4,000 who are officers.

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