Ukraine’s acting health minister has argued that swearing is good for your health in a post that has since gone viral on Facebook.
Ulana Suprun, who has been in the post since 2016, wrote that if the curse words were not used to offend, then they could be “good for health”.
Her comments were made in response to a recent bill put forward by a fellow lawmaker that said a fine should be handed to people who swear in public settings, such as in speeches or on television.
Such a punishment could reach up to 1,275 Ukrainian hryvnias (€44).
But Suprun says the proposal is unnecessary, and “is more suitable for North Korea than a modern European state”.
She added: “Understanding and expressing your emotions is good for health and communication.”
“But the best care for the Ukrainian language is to communicate and create it, regardless of the work area, to develop vocational vocabulary, to translate resources and literature, to read Ukrainian authors, and not to legislate what we say.”
The Facebook post has since gone viral in Ukraine, gathering more than 20,000 reactions in less than 24 hours.
One commenter joked that MP Olha Bohomolets, who proposed the bill, likely swore when she read Suprun’s post.
“‘From b****’, Bohomolets thought, reading this post,” the user said.
“Ms Ulyana is a fine trolling mistress,” another one wrote.
