Zelensky dismisses the Ukrainian ambassador to Germany

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The Ukrainian president, Volodimir Zelenski, has dismissed the ambassador in Germany, Andrii Melnik, and other diplomatic representatives of the country.

The diplomat had recently been criticized for laying a wreath at the tomb of Ukrainian nationalist and anti-Semitic leader Stepan Bandera and denying his involvement in the murder of Jews and Poles during World War II.

In addition, Melnik was especially critical of German reluctance to send weapons to Ukraine, calling German Chancellor Olaf Scholz an “offended liverwurst” in May — a reference to the typical German liver sausage — and sending “to hell.” to German intellectuals.

The Ukrainian press has already published that Melnik is emerging as the next ‘number two’ of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, news that the German newspaper ‘Bild’ also echoed through its own sources.

The decree published this Saturday by the presidential office specifies the dismissal of Melnik and the Ukrainian ambassadors to Hungary (Liubov Nepop), Norway (Viacheslav Yatsiuk), the Czech Republic (Yevhen Perebijnos) and India (Ihor Polija).

The appointment of Pavlo Kozirev as Deputy Minister of Reintegration of the Provisionally Occupied Territories of Ukraine and Commissioner for Internally Displaced Persons was also announced this Saturday.