Naked bravado of Ukrainian activists who are upsetting the body politic

Young Ukrainian activists are gaining popularity in the country for staging topless protests that involve rude gestures, obscene slogans and scuffles with security guards and police.

The women - slender, long-legged beauties with traditional Ukrainian flower wreaths in their hair - say they are promoting women's rights and fighting for democracy, but some critics claim they are merely seeking fame and undermining the feminist cause.

"If sexuality is used to sell cars and cookies, why not use it for social and political projects," said Anna Hutsul, 26, the chain-smoking leader of Femen. "Sometimes you need to show your breasts for ideological reasons."

The group has become so popular that Ms Hutsul plans to launch a political party and run for parliament.

They campaign against prostitution and discrimination of women, but also weigh in on hot topics in Ukraine such as the tax code, freedom of speech and foreign borrowing by the government.

Sometimes, it seems, they are merely looking for a pretext. "We don't really care, we just want to show our boobs," said the group's blog about one protest.

Femen began in 2008, when activists wearing bikinis jumped into a fountain in Kiev in protest at the shortages of water in student dormitories. Then activists started bearing their chests at rallies.

Today, all of their protesters are topless - something the police routinely fine and briefly detain them for.

The group was pushed into the spotlight this year when activists flashed their breasts in front of cameras at a polling station where future president Viktor Yanukovych was expected to cast his ballot in presidential elections and shouted: "Stop raping the country."

Femen sabotaged Ukraine's top fashion show last month when two bare-chested activists climbed on the runway holding posters that read "The Runway is a Meat Shop" and "Model, don't go to Brothel".

"The way we present our message and the message itself contradict each other," agreed Ms Hutsul, an economist by training. She does not take part in protests in order to have a "serious person" representing Femen.

The group caused a minor diplomatic scandal last month when five activists undressed near the statue of Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin and urged visiting Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin to stop interfering in Ukrainian politics.

The group's top activist, Inna Shevchenko, 20, insisted she could be both a feminist and a sex bomb. "We have our body, our beauty, our sexuality and we can combine it with brains, with ambitions, with achieving our goals, serious goals."

The group comprises some 20 topless activists, 300 fully clothed members and thousands of online activists, according to Ms Hutsul.

Some Ukrainians say Femen escapades are frequently meaningless, such as when Ms Shevchenko, clad in nothing but black panties, stockings, suspenders and a helmet, disturbed a respected women's rights conference. The argument was the experts talk too much and do too little.

"Dressing, undressing, it should not be about that," said Anna Dubrovina, 31, a telecoms manager in Kiev. "It should be about what you do, about your achievements."