We respect India's unique culture: Ukraine apologises for Goddess Kali tweet after backlash

After a furore on social media, Ukraine on Tuesday apologised for the contentious tweet purportedly showing an image of Goddess Kali in an awkward pose.

Taking to Twitter, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Emine Dzheppar expressed regret over the post and said that her country respects the 'unique Indian culture.'

"We regret the Ukrainian Defence Ministry tweet depicting the Hindu goddess Kali in a distorted manner. 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 increase cooperation in a spirit of mutual respect and friendship," tweeted Emine Dzheppar.

In the now-deleted tweet, the Ukraine's Ministry of Defense posted an image of Goddess Kali superimposed over a blast fume. While one photo had a massive cloud, the other showed the Hindu Goddess Kali in a plume of smoke with Marilyn Monroe's signature pose.

The objectionable tweet received massive backlash and sparked outrage among netizens, who accused the Ukrainian defence ministry of insensitivity and hurting the sentiments of Indians.