In a world where there are many countries, ideologies, territorial disputes and religious differences, international conflicts and wars are, unfortunately, an inevitable phenomenon.
Their prevention or solution is carried out with the help of diplomacy, the key figure of which is the ambassador. This official acts as a sole representative of the state and plays one of the key roles in the process of forming and improving the image of the state on the international arena, it is on him that the provision of its national interests and security largely depends.
Diplomacy is the whole art of conducting negotiations, solving pressing issues and establishing good neighborly relations. Diplomatic efforts help to ease tensions and establish dialogue between countries, as well as to find certain mutually beneficial compromises and agreements. In order to solve these extremely important issues, the ambassadors of the countries should be only highly professional specialists who have specialized education, as well as extensive work experience.
IA “FAKT” studied the track record of ambassadors of Ukraine – their education and experience in the diplomatic field. It turned out that some of them are experienced specialists. Including:
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Ukraine to the Republic of Austria Vasyl Khymynets, who has specialized education and experience in diplomatic work since 1997.
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Federal Republic of Germany Oleksiy Makeev has specialized education, started his diplomatic career in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine in 1996.
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Ukraine to the Kingdom of Spain Serhiy Pogoreltsev graduated from Kyiv State University named after Taras Shevchenko, specializing in “translator of Spanish and English, teacher of Spanish”, but has been in diplomatic work since 1992.
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Ukraine to the Republic of Poland Vasyl Zvarych graduated from the Faculty of International Relations of Ivan Franko Lviv State University, in diplomatic work since 1999.
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Republic of Finland Olga Dibrova graduated from the Department of Oriental Studies of Kyiv National University named after Taras Shevchenko, Institute of Journalism of Kyiv National University named after Taras Shevchenko. He has been working in the system of bodies of the diplomatic service of Ukraine since 1999.
At the same time, a certain number of ambassadors of Ukraine were appointed from among former top officials from the president’s team, people’s deputies, military personnel, lawyers, entrepreneurs, but not staff diplomats. They do not have specialized education, and some even have experience in the civil service.
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Republic of Bulgaria Olesya Ilashchuk graduated from the Yuriy Fedkovich Chernivtsi National University with a degree in “Local Studies”, held the positions of manager and co-founder of the jewelry company “JEMMA”, general director of the StarPak company (production of containers and packaging), was the head of the company “DIGITAL-PK LTD” (wholesale of computers and software), and also engaged in private practice in the field of Gestalt therapy in the city of Kyiv. Her appointment to the position without any experience in diplomatic or other state activities caused an ambiguous reaction among diplomats and the public.
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the USA Oksana Markarova has a master’s degree in ecology from the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy and a master’s degree in international public finance and trade from Indiana State University (Bloomington, USA). From 1998 to 1999 and from 2001 to 2003, she worked as an economic policy advisor, manager of external and corporate communications at the American private equity fund Western NIS Enterprise Fund. She worked at the World Bank in the USA, responsible for the banking sector and financial markets of Europe and Central Asia, the chairman of the board of the ITT-Invest company, the chairman of the board of the ITT investment group, the deputy minister of finance, the minister of finance. He has no experience of diplomatic work and no relevant education.
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Republic of Italy Yaroslav Melnyk graduated from Kyiv National University named after T. Shevchenko, Institute of International Relations, National University of Water Management and Nature Management, majoring in “economist”. Worked as a translator, director of the property insurance department at TDV “Kyiv Insurance Company”, insurance manager at ATZT “First International Insurance Group”, deputy head of the Protocol of the Prime Minister of Ukraine, deputy head of the trade and economic mission as part of the Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of Italy , in the State Protocol and Ceremonial Department of the Office of the President of Ukraine. He has no experience in diplomatic work.
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the State of Israel Yevhen Korniychuk graduated from the Minsk Higher Military-Political College with a specialty of “teacher of history and social science”, Kyiv State University named after T. Shevchenko majored in “lawyer-jurist”, Southern Methodist University, law school, was a People’s Deputy of Ukraine of the 5th and 6th convocations, worked as a senior partner of the law firm “Master & Partners”, general director of the Management of the private corporate investment fund LLC “Kyiv Global”, first deputy minister of justice of Ukraine. He worked in the system of bodies of the diplomatic service of Ukraine from 1998 to 2000.
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the People’s Republic of China Pavlo Ryabikin graduated from Kyiv National University named after T.G. Shevchenko, majoring in “Jurisprudence”. He worked as a German language translator-referent, a lawyer at “Vasyl Kysil and Partners” LLC, in management positions in the water transport infrastructure, was the Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications of Ukraine, the General Director of the state enterprise “Boryspil International Airport”, the head of the State Customs Service of Ukraine, a minister on issues of strategic industries of Ukraine. He was elected a People’s Deputy of Ukraine. Experience in diplomatic work – from 2009 to 2010, he was the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Ukraine to the Kingdom of Denmark.
Yulia Kovaliv, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to Canada has a master’s degree in economic theory from the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy and a master’s degree in social development management from the National Academy of Public Administration under the President of Ukraine, completed a course in leadership and management at the school named after J. Kennedy of Harvard University. She worked in the private sector, in an international auditing company, in management positions of energy sector enterprises, as a coordinator of economic reforms in the Coordination Center for the Implementation of Economic Reforms under the President of Ukraine, in the National Commission for the Regulation of Energy and Communal Services, a state representative of the National Joint Stock Company “Naftogaz of Ukraine”, was the first deputy of the Minister of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine, deputy head of the Office of the President of Ukraine. He has no experience of diplomatic work and no relevant education.
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Ukraine to the Republic of Azerbaijan Yuriy Gusev graduated from the Kyiv National University of Economics, headed commercial companies, worked in various state authorities – head of the group of advisers to the Minister of Economy, director of the department of national projects, adviser to the ministers of finance, infrastructure, ecology and natural resources, head of the department of economic activity in the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, was a private entrepreneur, the head of the Kherson regional state administration, the general director of the state concern “Ukroboronprom”. He has no experience of diplomatic work and no relevant education.
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Ukraine to France and the Principality of Monaco, Vadym Omelchenko graduated from the National Law Academy named after Yaroslav the Wise. He served in the internal affairs bodies as an operative, twice worked as an adviser to the Speakers of the Parliament of Ukraine, managed a group of advisers to the Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine on economic reforms, worked as a consultant to the Parliamentary Committee on Combating Organized Crime and Corruption, a teacher at the Kyiv Institute of International Relations of the T. Shevchenko National University and the Diplomatic Academy under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, president of the Gorshenin Institute. He has no experience of diplomatic work and no relevant education.
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Swiss Confederation and the Principality of Liechtenstein (part-time) Iryna Venediktova graduated from the Kharkiv National University of Internal Affairs, majoring in “Jurisprudence” and “Management”. Worked as a teacher, arbitrator of the International Commercial Arbitration Court at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Ukraine, acting Director of the State Bureau of Investigation, General Prosecutor of Ukraine. He has no experience of diplomatic work and no relevant education.
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Valery Zaluzhnyi – retired general, graduated from the National Defense Academy of Ukraine, National Defense University of Ukraine named after Ivan Chernyakhovsky, master’s degree from the Ostroz Academy majoring in “International Relations”, served in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. On February 8, 2024, he was dismissed from the post of Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and in May was appointed ambassador. He has no experience of diplomatic work and no relevant education.
Anatoly Petrenko, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, retired lieutenant general, graduated from the Kyiv higher combined military command school, the National Defense University of Ukraine, held command and staff positions in the Ground Forces Command, the General Staff and the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, was the head of the Euro-Atlantic Integration Office and the director of the Department of Military Policy, Strategic Planning and of international cooperation of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. He has no experience of diplomatic work and no relevant education.
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Republic of India Oleksandr Polishchuk – retired major general, graduated from the Kyiv higher combined military command school and the Academy of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Served in command and staff positions in units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, worked in the Apparatus of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine. Engaged in expert-analytical work in a non-governmental organization and scientific work in the National Institute of Strategic Studies, Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine. He has no experience of diplomatic work and no relevant education.
Valery Yevdokimov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Republic of Tajikistan, retired Major General, graduated from the Institute of the Border Troops of Ukraine and the Academy of the Security Service of Ukraine. He served in various positions in the State Border Service of Ukraine, in the State Security Department of Ukraine, and was the Head of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine. He has no experience of diplomatic work and no relevant education.
In addition, it is planned to appoint Oleksiy Danilov, whose candidacy has already been approved by the President of Ukraine, to the position of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Republic of Moldova. Danilov graduated from the Eastern Ukrainian National University named after Volodymyr Dal, Luhansk Institute of Internal Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine and Luhansk Pedagogical University named after Shevchenko. He worked as a teacher, a veterinarian-paramedic, the head of the “White Stork” cooperative, the director of the “Vera” MPP, the head of the Luhansk City Council of People’s Deputies, a teacher, an adviser to the Committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on Industrial Policy and Entrepreneurship, the head of the Luhansk Regional State Administration, the head of the Ukrainian Entrepreneurship Support Fund, was the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine. He has no experience of diplomatic work and no relevant education.
According to Forbes, During his tenure, Volodymyr Zelenskyy appointed only 102 ambassadors, 18 of whom do not have diplomatic experience or relevant education. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated: “this is a common international practice”, “over the past two years, all non-staff diplomats who became ambassadors have demonstrated decent work results”.
However, the ex-minister of foreign affairs of Ukraine and the ex-ambassador of Ukraine to Germany, Pavlo Klimkin, believes that the reason for the “political” appointments of ambassadors is the lack of personnel. In 2023, the current minister Dmytro Kuleba even announced the first ever open recruitment of ambassadors to 21 countries among people who do not work in the MFA system.
Ihor Kyzyma, who worked as a diplomat in 1995-2023, believes:
“The illusion of “personnel hunger” is created if one does not see a huge army of talented and qualified specialists in Ukraine only because they are outside the boundaries of the current ruling circle.”
Why is the personnel policy of the diplomatic service constructed so strangely? Why does the Law of Ukraine “On Diplomatic Service” not define clear selection criteria and qualification requirements for ambassadors, as required by other specialties, even much less responsible ones? How can an ambassador without professional education and work experience represent the state in international relations and conduct negotiations competently, protecting the national interests of Ukraine? These issues remain outside the attention of society, but they must be raised, because effective personnel policy directly depends on successful diplomacy, which is the face of our state and ensuring its national security.
As is known, short-sighted diplomacy or an intellectual crisis in foreign policy significantly reduces the international image of the state. The success of the activities of ambassadors and diplomats affects the strengthening of the state’s place in the system of interstate relations, as well as the harmonization of its national interests with the interests of other states, which is especially relevant for a country on the territory of which hostilities are taking place.
