New Delhi: Ukraine’s Deputy Foreign Minister Emin Dzhaparova on Tuesday expressed ‘regret’ after a tweet posted by the country’s defense ministry purportedly showed a picture of goddess Kali above a plume of smoke. He said Ukraine “regrets” the Ministry of Defense’s “distorted” portrayal of goddess Kali and that the European country “respects the unique Indian culture”. He said the illustration has already been removed.
“We regret the distorted depiction of Hindu goddess Kali by the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. Ukraine and its people respect the unique Indian culture and highly appreciate India’s support. The depiction has already been removed. Ukraine is determined to further enhance cooperation in the spirit of mutual respect.” friendship,” Emin Dzhaparova said in a tweet.
we regret @DefenceU illustration #Hindu Goddess #Black In distorted manner. #Ukraine and its people respect the unique #Indian Appreciate the culture and immense support. The illustration has already been removed. Determined to further enhance cooperation in the spirit of mutual respect and friendship. — Emine Dzheppar (@EmineDzheppar) May 1, 2023
Early last week, the Twitter handle @DefenceU posted the image with the caption ‘Work of Art’ and drew an angry response from many Indians, who accused the Ukrainian Defense Ministry of insensitivity and hurting the sentiments of Indians .
In the picture, the artist depicted explosions in a unique yet aggressive mix with details similar to the face and Hindu goddess Kali in a ‘flying skirt’ pose of famous American actress Marilyn Monroe.
Some Indian Twitter users also demanded the intervention of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.
Tagging Jaishankar, a user said, “Please take note of this derogatory post showing Maa Kali in a wrong way.”
After an online outcry, the tweet was removed by the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
Emin Zhaparova recently visited IndiaThis is the first visit by a Ukrainian minister to India since the start of Ukraine war in February last year. During his visit, he interacted with several senior Indian leaders.