In March 2022, Ambasador Vasyl Myroshnychenko was fast tracked into the Ukraine Foreign Ministry to become the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to Australia and New Zealand. The Ambassador was also appointed a foreign policy and communications advisor to the Ukraine Minister of Defence. Prior to joining the Foreign Ministry, the Ambassador was a founder and partner at CFC Consulting, advising companies on corporate and investor relations as well as business and governmental interaction. He graduated from the Institute of International Relations at the Taras Shevchenko National University, and also studied at the London School of Economics and Political Science, and at Lehigh University, in Bethlehem, PA, in the United States.
On August 14, his Excellency made one of his first public appearances in this country speaking to the Ukrainian community and their supporters in Auckland. The Ambassador provided the Ukraine Government's latest appraisal of the war and the international community's response. Moreover, he provided views on what the New Zealand Government and the broader public can do to help. Additionally, he discussed Ukraine’s bilateral relations with Australia and New Zealand, including military cooperation, trade, investment, culture and education. During his time as the Ambassador of Ukraine to New Zealand, his Excellency has made numerous media appearances on various TV channels such as 1News, Stuff, TodayFM and NewsHub (just to name a few).
On 21st November 2013, large protests erupted on Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Майдан Незалежності) or Independence Square in Kyiv sparked by the then-Yanukovych Administration's sudden decision not to sign the European Union-Ukraine Association Agreement, who were under pressure from the Kremlin. What followed was a wave of protests and civil unrest across the country which led to the 2014 Revolution of Dignity with more than a hundred deaths. After the fleeing of former President Viktor Yanukovych and key Ministers to Russia, Ukraine was hit with the Annexation of Crimea (a key strategic peninsula on the Black Sea) and the War in the Donbas, the latter having continued since 6th April 2014 with significant loss of life as well as millions displaced.
In late 2021 and early 2022, Russia along with its ally Belarus began a military build-up around Ukraine's borders. This was subsequently followed by the Kremlin's official recognition of the two self-proclaimed Separatist States of Donetsk and Luhansk in East Ukraine on 21st February 2022.
However, on 24th February 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his administration launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. This is seen as the largest military attack in Europe since World War II and as of March 2022, there have been more than two thousand deaths of military personnel and civilians along with more than two million who have been displaced from their homes. The Russian invasion has been condemned internationally with many countries imposing sanctions which have resulted in economic consequences for Russia and other countries. Various countries around the world have provided Ukraine with military and humanitarian aid. Moreover, protests have erupted all around the world condemning Russia's actions with those in Russia met with mass arrests and a brutal crackdown on censorship.
In late 2021 and early 2022, Russia along with its ally Belarus began a military build-up around Ukraine's borders. This was subsequently followed by the Kremlin's official recognition of the two self-proclaimed Separatist States of Donetsk and Luhansk in East Ukraine on 21st February 2022.
However, on 24th February 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his administration launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. This is seen as the largest military attack in Europe since World War II and as of March 2022, there have been more than two thousand deaths of military personnel and civilians along with more than two million who have been displaced from their homes. The Russian invasion has been condemned internationally with many countries imposing sanctions which have resulted in economic consequences for Russia and other countries. Various countries around the world have provided Ukraine with military and humanitarian aid. Moreover, protests have erupted all around the world condemning Russia's actions with those in Russia met with mass arrests and a brutal crackdown on censorship.
On Friday 3rd June 2022, the Russian war against Ukraine entered into its 100th day with no clear end in sight. According to Jon Henley from The Guardian, Moscow has seized about a fifth of Ukraine's territory but hasn't been successful in taking over any major cities. The Kremlin has vowed to continue their mass genocide of the Ukrainian nation "until all goals are achieved" with Russian troops pummelling the Donbas region. On the other hand, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that "tens of thousands" of civilians have been killed in the conflict. However, speaking in a video featuring the same key ministers and advisors who appeared with him in a moral-boosting broadcast the day Russia invaded, President Zelenskyy declared that "victory shall be ours". He also mentioned that the Ukrainian troops did "what seemed impossible" and stopped the "second army of the world". Several world leaders such as EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen praised the "bravery" of Ukrainians as it "commands" our "respect and admiration". Moreover, according to Russian human rights lawyers and activists, some Russian troops have refused to return to fight in Ukraine due to their experiences on the front line. One particular Russian soldier who spent five weeks fighting in Ukraine earlier in the year told the BBC that he didn't want to return to "kill and be killed". He added that despite his initial thoughts on the Russian army being the "most super-duper in the world", him and his fellow servicemen were expected to operate without even the most basic equipment such as night vision devices.
Despite the long distance between the two countries, New Zealand has stood with Ukraine in the nation's fight against Russian fascism. On Sunday 5th June 2022, the Ukrainian Association of New Zealand with support from the members of the Ukrainian Community in Auckland held a march in the largest city in the country in honour of all those innocent lives lost in the war. Gathering at Aotea Square, the group made their way through the major streets in the city centre to the Auckland War Memorial Museum. According to Radio New Zealand, there were more than one-thousand people present in voicing their support for Ukraine.
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