The President Volodymyr Zelensky fired the ambassador of Ukraine to Kazakhstan Petro Vrublevsky. Earlier, Russia demanded that Kazakhstan expel him because of statements about "killing Russians".
This is reported in Presidential Decree No. 723/2022.
"To dismiss Petro Yuriyovych Vrublevsky from the post of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Republic of Kazakhstan," the document states.
In addition, Zelensky appointed new ambassadors to Slovakia (Myroslav Kastran) and Morocco (Serhiy Sayenko).
- In an interview with Kazakh blogger Dias Kuzairov on August 21, Ukraineʼs ambassador to Kazakhstan Petro Vrublevskyi said: "We are trying to kill them as much as possible. The more we kill Russians now, the less our children will have to kill." After that, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan summoned Vrublevsky and protested to him. Subsequently, the ambassador of Ukraine apologized for his statements.
- Russia demanded that Kazakhstan expel the diplomat, but Astana instead asked Kyiv to replace him, saying such comments were unacceptable for a country with a large Russian minority.
- Russian Foreign Ministry press secretary Maria Zakharova said on October 4 that Moscow was "outraged" by the fact that Vrublevsky was still in Astana, and summoned the Kazakh ambassador. On October 5, the spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, Aibek Smadiyarov, called Sakharovaʼs tone "not consistent with the nature of allied relations between Kazakhstan and Russia as equal strategic partners." He added that Astana will summon the Russian ambassador. Smadiyarov also said that Vrublevsky will leave Kazakhstan when a new ambassador of Ukraine is appointed.