SHE'S FIGHT-Y APHRODITE!

Ukraine’s ‘Warrior of Light’ at Miss Universe

The next battlefield will be at a beauty pageant.

Miss Ukraine Viktoria Apanasenko, who will be representing the war-torn country at the Miss Universe pageant in New Orleans on Jan. 14, unveiled her look for the contest’s National Costume competition: a stunning armed angel with ornate blue and yellow wings. The “Warrior of Light” costume “symbolizes our nation’s fight against darkness,” says Apanasenko’s caption on Instagram. “Like Archangel Michael, who defends Ukraine with a sword, it protects us.”

The outfit — complete with weapon and body armor — sends the message that Apanasenko “carries light through the darkness that came to our peaceful lands with the aggressor.”

Every year, beauty queens don quirky, sometimes campy, costumes to represent their national identity. In 2015, Miss Canada went as the Stanley Cup, complete with hockey sticks. Given the state of her country, which was invaded by Russia in February, Apanasenko’s approach is far less frivolous. Her costume was created in Ukraine by Patoka Studio designer Lesia Patoka.

“For us it is important to show the world that Ukraine is strong, brave, unbreakable. We are ready to fight for our freedom because we know its price,” Patoka told The Post over Instagram. The intricate costume took four months to make and was created in extreme conditions: by candlelight without electricity and to the soundtrack of sirens, the designer said. On the world stage, Patoka said, it will be a showcase for Ukrainian national pride and for the nation’s design chops. “We want to show the high skill level of Ukrainians,” she said. “We can sew as good as Hollywood does.”