Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky fired his ambassador to Germany a week after the diplomat gave an interview defending the legacy of a World War II nationalist leader who collaborated with the Nazis.
Andriy Melnyk, Ukraine’s ambassador to Berlin since 2014, has been one of the most recognized faces of the Ukrainian cause in Germany, never shying away from strongly criticizing what many saw as Germany’s slow response to the Russian invasion and often the anger of the country’s political elite.
But in an interview on the show Jung & Nai, streamed 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 embraced the fascist ideology, collaborated with German troops when they occupied Ukraine and assisted some of those troops in the massacres of Poles and Jews.
Mr Bandera was not directly involved in the murders, having been arrested in Ukraine in 1941 and placed in “honorable internment” by the Nazis in a concentration camp outside Berlin for trying to establish an independent Ukraine. Murdered 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 statues of Mr. Bandera and streets are named after him.
But in Germany, which prides itself on its dedication to recognizing Nazi crimes and commemorating the victims of the Holocaust, questioning that chapter in history is a red line.
Mr. Melnyk raised eyebrows in Germany a few years earlier for a visit to Mr Bandera’s grave in Munich. When confronted in the June 29 interview with the history of the OUN’s role in massacres and Mr Bandera’s anti-Semitic views, Mr Melnyk said there was no evidence for the claims, which are undisputed in academic circles.
“That’s the story 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 aroused condemnation from German officials, as well as the Israeli embassy in Germany. Two ministers in Poland, one of Ukraine’s most staunch supporters since the Russian invasion, also denounced the statements. That prompted Kiev to distance itself from Mr Melnyk, saying his views did not represent Ukraine’s position.
Mr. Melnyk, who speaks fluent German, was known in Germany for his impassioned advocacy for more weapons for Ukraine to defend itself against the Russian invasion. He did not shy away from colorful criticism, as Chancellor Olaf Scholz called an “offended liverwurst” for postponing a visit to Kiev in the spring. The German expression, which loosely translates into a prima donna, caused outrage from much of the German political establishment. But it won him fervent supporters in Germany among those frustrated by their country’s slow support.
Despite the frequent controversies sparked by Mr Melnyk’s comments, he has been seen as an asset to drawing attention to Ukraine in a country where pacifist leanings within the political establishment have led to hesitation in supplying arms.
On Saturday, Mr. Zelensky announced the resignation of Mr. Melnyk, along with that of the ambassadors from India, the Czech Republic, Norway and Hungary.