Ukraine Offended by Dutch Ad about 'Promiscuous' Ukrainian Women

World | April 25, 2012, Wednesday // 19:42
Bulgaria: Ukraine Offended by Dutch Ad about 'Promiscuous' Ukrainian Women A screenshot from the controversial Dutch TV commercial about Ukrainian women.

A commercial, which warned Dutch women against letting their husbands and boyfriends travel to Ukraine for Euro 2012, has outraged the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry.

­The "Keep Him Home" ad began airing on national television in the Netherlands in anticipation of this summer's European football championships.

The commercial for electricity giant NLEnergie urges wives and girlfriends to 'keep your men at home' during this summer's football tournament.

It shows how typing only the letters 'ukr..' into internet search engine immediately brings up the result 'Ukrainian women'.

The web page is then filled with scores of images of scantily clad models and prostitutes from the eastern European state.

The advert is trying to sell a draught beer dispenser made by NLEnergie, which is boasts should convince men to watch the matches from home in the Netherlands instead.

The video suggests it's "dangerous" for Dutch men to go to Ukraine as there are too many beautiful ladies in the country.

"We find this commercial discriminating, fuelling ethnic hatred and unfair to Ukraine and the Ukrainian people," Aleksandr Dikusarov, Ukraine's Foreing Ministry spokesman, is quoted by Vesti.ru as saying. "We'll be vigorously pushing for such an ad to be removed from television."

According to the official, "the Ukrainian Ambassador to the Netherlands has already met with representatives of the local football federation, who are sponsored by the company responsible for releasing the commercial."

Dikusarov stressed that the Royal Dutch Football Association "strongly condemned" the ad and assured the Ambassador that they weren't aware of its production.

“It is just a bit of fun that plays on the cliches and Ukraine's reaction is disproportionate. I shouldn't for a moment think it will stop any Dutch men from travelling to Ukraine to support their national team, and I will be explaining this to the Ukrainian ambassador when I meet him,” NLEnergie boss Harald Swinkels said, as cited by The Daily Mail.

The British paper points out that Ukraine announced last year that it would be cracking down on the thousands of prostitutes hoping to cash in on extra business from male fans during the tournament.

Ukrainian women's rights campaigners have also warned that the tournament risks increasing sex tourism in the country and demanded that UEFA tell football fans that visiting prostitutes during the Euro 2012 tournament was unacceptable.

The Ukrainian women are renowned for their looks, with a recent survey from Traveller's Digest calling the female residents of the capital Kiev the most beautiful on the planet, writes Russia Today.

The Netherlands were drawn in, the so-called 'Group of Death', at Euro 2012. They'll hold their games against the strong teams Germany, Portugal and Denmark in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv.

The controversial TV commercial can be viewed HERE on YouTube

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Tags: Ukraine, Dutch, Netherlands, Euro 2012, ad, TV commercial, ads, Ukrainian women, Kiev

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