Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba suffered a minor leg wound during a scuffle between his own pets and a larger canine
FILE PHOTO. © Getty Images / Vitaly Kulikov
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba has been bitten by a “large dog” while walking his three canines in Kiev, sustaining minor injuries to his leg, the diplomat revealed on Monday.
Kuleba described the incident on Instagram, posting a picture of his wounded leg and saying his pets were targeted by an unleashed dog, but were unharmed.
“Dogs should be loved, but also they should be kept on leashes,” the diplomat wrote.
The wound required treatment and Kuleba went to hospital to get his leg “fixed.” While Kuleba did not elaborate on how “large” the hostile dog was, his injury appeared to be minor.
Kuleba owns three smaller-breed dogs, including a French bulldog he adopted back in 2022. The pooch, named Marik, is said to have been rescued from the now-Russian city of Mariupol. The pet has repeatedly accompanied Kuleba during various diplomatic events.
The Ukrainian diplomat is no stranger to using personal injuries for political gains. In June 2022, he suffered a leg injury while trying to “get back into sports.” Subsequently, Kuleba appeared in casts and with crutches at diplomatic events, while bragging on social media about his resilience, and claiming his leg injury was not an obstacle for him seeking more aid from the West, amid Kiev’s conflict with Moscow.
The minister, like many other Ukrainian officials, has taken an aggressive approach to diplomacy, repeatedly condemning those who criticize Kiev or are seen as sympathising with Moscow. Over the weekend, Kuleba launched a tirade against Tucker Carlson for his interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin, accusing the American conservative journalist of helping Moscow to spread its “bloodthirsty lies.”
