A Ukrainian mayor has slammed schoolboys who turned up to class in dresses to mark Gender Equality Day.

The pupils had filmed themselves wearing girls’ clothes to School No. 24 in Lutsk to show their support for equality between the sexes

The video, seen here, was shared on social media and won praise from netizens.

But the mayor of Lutsk, Ihor Polishchuk, was less than impressed by the pupils’ actions.

He said in a statement: “When males wear women’s clothing, it is a deviation. If it happens again, we will terminate contracts with the directors.

“And what about those pyjama parties when students come to school in pyjamas? What is that? If I showed up at school like that, I would be immediately expelled.”

Education Department head Vitaliy Bondar explained that the video had been taken out of context.

He said in a statement: “This comes from Europe. It was Gender Equality Day, and the video was taken out of the overall context, which the school administration failed to control.”

According to reports, girls also showed up to school on the same day wearing schoolboys’ clothing.

Both teachers and staff at the institute reportedly supported the pupils’ initiative.

The mayor of Lutsk added that the pupils’ actions were not consistent with the city’s “Christian” values.

Lutsk, in north-western Ukraine, has been minimally affected by Russia’s ongoing invasion.

According to a report by the Centre for Sustainable Peace and Democratic Development last updated in July 2022: “Despite progress on gender equality, the ratification of most pertinent global conventions, and the adoption of relevant legislation, Ukrainian women continue to face barriers to their meaningful economic, civic and political participation, hindered further by risks of economic fragility, poor health outcomes and exposure to violence for some of the most vulnerable groups.

“Traditional values and patriarchal views that condone discrimination and violence against women and girls remain widespread, while existing gender inequalities are continuously compounded by the humanitarian crisis caused by Russia’s full scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.”