Andrii Melnyk, Ukraine’s ambassador to Germany, during an event commemorating the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II at the Berlin Soviet War Memorial in May. Credit… John McDougall/Agence France-Presse – Getty Images
Volodymyr Zelenskyi, Ukraine’s president, has fired his ambassador to Germany, a week after the diplomat gave an interview in which he defended the legacy of a World War II nationalist leader who collaborated with the Nazis.
Andrii Melnyk, Ukraine’s ambassador to Berlin since 2014, has been one of the most prominent faces of the Ukrainian cause in Germany, never shying away from fierce criticism of what many saw as Germany’s slow response to the Russian invasion and often drew the ire of the country’s political elite.
But in an interview on the Jung & Nai show, which aired on YouTube on June 29, Mr. Melnyk defended the memory of Stepan Bandera, the leader of the far-right Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists during World War II. The nationalist group, which espoused fascist ideology, collaborated with German forces when they occupied Ukraine, and some of these forces assisted in the mass murders of Poles and Jews.
Mr. Bandera was not directly involved in the killings because he was arrested in Ukraine in 1941 and placed in “honorary internment” by the Nazis in a concentration camp outside Berlin for trying to create an independent Ukraine. Killed by Soviet spies in Munich in 1959, Mr. Bandera is still revered by some of the Ukrainian population for his leadership of the nationalist cause, especially in the west, where there are statues of Mr. Bandera and streets named after him.
But in Germany, which prides itself on its commitment to acknowledging Nazi crimes and honoring the memory of the victims of the Holocaust, questioning this chapter of history is a red line.
Mr. Melnyk had already raised eyebrows in Germany a few years earlier when he visited Mr. Bandera’s grave in Munich. When confronted in a June 29 interview about the history of the OUN’s role in the massacres and Mr. Bandera’s anti-Semitic views, Mr. Melnyk said there was no evidence for the claims, which are undisputed in academia.
“This is the narrative that the Russians are pushing to this day and that has support in Germany, in Poland and also in Israel,” he said.
Mr. Melnyk’s comments immediately drew condemnation from German officials as well as the Israeli embassy in Germany. Two ministers in Poland, some of Ukraine’s staunchest supporters since the Russian invasion, also condemned the remarks. That prompted Kyiv to distance itself from Mr. Melnyk, saying his views did not reflect Ukraine’s position.
A fluent German speaker, Mr. Melnyk was known in Germany for his passionate advocacy of more weapons for Ukraine to defend against a Russian invasion. He did not shy away from colorful criticism, such as calling Chancellor Olaf Scholz an “offended liver” for delaying his visit to Kyiv in the spring. The German expression, which loosely translates to “prima-donna”, outraged much of Germany’s political establishment. But it won him ardent supporters in Germany among those frustrated by their country’s slow support.
Despite the frequent controversy sparked by Mr. Melnyk’s comments, he was seen as a means of drawing attention to Ukraine in a country where pacifist leanings in the political establishment have led to hesitancy over arms supplies.
Mr. Zelensky announced Mr. Melnyk’s dismissal along with that of the ambassadors of India, the Czech Republic, Norway and Hungary. Mr. Zelensky later called the change a rotation that was part of normal diplomatic practice.
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