A YouTube user recently reported receiving an advert for a Ukrainian dating site- an occurrence that, in isolation, wouldn’t raise any eyebrows. However, the advert, aired amidst the current Russia-Ukraine conflict, ends with a statement urging American men to “Dare, and take what is yours.
The advert features a slideshow of footage of a woman, assumed to be Ukrainian, as a voice-over describes the benefits of dating a Ukrainian woman. The target audience of the ad is made explicit- American men.
The narrator details that “these ladies are passionate. They have been raised to respect family and traditional values” and that they “do not pay much attention to the age difference.”
“They like men from American countries because they are more ambitious, financially and socially responsible, and after all, they are just more rational.”
The advert finally concludes face-to-face with the narrator, who urges viewers to “Dare, and take what is yours.”
News of the advert garnered a great deal of backlash online due to the current invasion of Ukraine at the hands of Russian forces, which has been ongoing since February of this year. Amidst the conflict, there are a growing number of reports of Russian forces utilizing rape and sexual violence against Ukrainian women.
