Ukrainian Ex-Military Commander Officially Becomes Envoy To U.K.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy officially made Valeriy Zaluzhniy Kyiv’s ambassador to the United Kingdom, after the general was removed from his position as commander in chief of Ukraine’s military earlier this year. The 50-year-old Zaluzhniy’s removal from his military post was part of Zelenskiy’s announced “reboot” of Ukraine’s government and military, his most consequential shake-up since Russia’s February 2022 invasion. According to a decree published on the website of the Office of the President on May 9, Zaluzhniy is now officially the ambassador. A second decree from a day earlier dismissed him from military service on health grounds with the right to wear a military uniform. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, click here.