The leader announced the dismissal of Ukraine’s ambassadors to Germany, India, the Czech Republic, Norway and Hungary and said that new candidates were being prepared for the posts. “This rotation is a normal part of diplomatic practice,” he said in a statement. It was unclear whether the envoys would receive new positions. Zelensky urged his diplomats to rally international support and military aid for Ukraine as it tries to fend off the February 24 Russian invasion. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has fired five of the country’s top envoys abroad, including the outspoken ambassador to Germany (Presidential Press Office/EPA) Kiev’s relations with Germany, which is heavily dependent on Russian energy supplies and also Europe’s largest economy, are particularly sensitive. Andriy Melnyk, who was appointed by Zelensky’s predecessor as ambassador to Germany in late 2014, is well known among politicians and diplomats in Berlin. The 46-year-old regularly engages in candid exchanges on social media and has labeled politicians and intellectuals opposed to equipping Ukraine to fight Russian aggression as appeasement. Andriy Melnyk regularly engages in candid exchanges on social media and has labeled politicians and intellectuals opposed to arming Ukraine to fight Russian aggression as appeasement (AFP via Getty Images/Pool) He once accused German Chancellor Olaf Scholz of behaving like an “offended liver sausage” when Mr Scholz did not immediately accept the Ukrainian president’s invitation to visit Kyiv. Kyiv and Berlin are currently at loggerheads over a German-made turbine undergoing maintenance in Canada. Germany wants Ottawa to return the turbine to Russian gas giant Gazprom to pump gas to Europe, but Kyiv has urged Canada to keep the turbine, saying a return would violate sanctions on Moscow. Canada said Saturday it would return the turbine. Russian missiles hit the town of Chasiv Yar in eastern Ukraine, destroying a five-story apartment building and killing at least six people, the region’s governor said Sunday. Pavlo Kyrylenko, governor of the Donetsk region, said more than 30 people could be trapped in the rubble. Rescuers have made contact with two people trapped under the debris, he said on the Telegram messaging app. Donetsk region is one of two provinces along with Luhansk that make up the Donbas region, where separatist rebels have been fighting Ukrainian forces since 2014. Last week, Russia captured the city of Lysychansk, the last major stronghold of the Ukrainian resistance in Luhansk. Russian forces are raising “real hell” in the Donbass, despite reports that they were taking an operational pause, Luhansk Governor Serhii Haidai said. Additional reports from agencies
