KYIV -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has dismissed Kyiv's ambassadors to five countries, including Germany, and several other envoys, according to presidential decrees announced on July 9.
The series of short decrees did not give reasons for the dismissals, but listed the ambassadors as those to Germany, Hungary, Norway, the Czech Republic, and India.
Envoys to the Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh were also dismissed, the decrees stated.
The decrees did not say if the removed envoys would be offered other jobs within the Ukrainian government.
Hours later, Zelenskiy said in a video message that "rotation is a normal part of diplomatic practice."
"New representatives of Ukraine will be appointed to the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Norway, and India. Candidates are being prepared by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs," he said.
Among those dismissed was Ukraine’s controversial ambassador to Germany, Andriy Melnyk.
German newspapers Bild and Sueddeutsche Zeitung reported earlier in the week that Melnyk was set to leave Berlin and take up another post within the Foreign Ministry in Kyiv.
Melnyk has been vocal in his appeals for more assistance from Berlin, particularly in the form of weapons exports from Germany.
In a Reuters interview prior to Russia’s February 24 invasion of Ukraine, Melnyk criticized Berlin’s resolve in negotiations with Moscow and said that "so far, there has been a lot of dialogue with Russia -- alas, without results -- but not enough severity.”
More recently, Melnyk came under pressure for defending controversial mid-20th-century nationalist leader Stepan Bandera.
Bandera is revered as a hero by many Ukrainians for leading the political wing of the anti-Soviet independence movement. Its military wing -- the Ukrainian Insurgent Army -- waged partisan warfare during and after World War II.
But Bandera -- who was killed by a Soviet assassin in Munich in 1959 -- is regarded as a traitor by others for leading an insurgent war against Soviet forces and collaborating with Nazi Germany. His forces also fought against the Nazis at times during the war and are accused of carrying out murderous campaigns against Poles and Jews.
Kyiv's relations with Germany have been particularly difficult since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
While Berlin has given political support and military aid, Kyiv has called on German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to do more.
Germany is heavily reliant on Russian energy supplies, and some in Berlin have expressed concerns about rising energy prices in the country.
Scholz has accused Russia of using energy as a weapon and said Germany has relied too long on energy supplies from Russia.
Following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, Germany halted the $11 billion Nord Stream 2 gas project as punishment for Russia's military onslaught.
Nord Stream 2, half-owned by Russia’s state-owned Gazprom in a consortium with European energy companies, was designed to double shipments of Russian gas to Germany.
Ukraine has also demanded Germany either halt or severely curtail natural-gas flows through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline and said it is able to provide alternative supply routes.