President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi continues to update the diplomatic corps, which gradually covers both the countries of the European Union and the Western Balkans, as well as the countries of Asia and the Middle East.
On August 6, the president dismissed four ambassadors at once: Vasyl Kyrylich in Croatia, Volodymyr Shkurov in Albania, Oleh Gerasimenko in Montenegro, and Markiyan Chuchuk in Pakistan.
The corresponding personnel decisions are formalized by decrees. №709/2026–№712/2026.
According to the assessment of the Experts Club analytical center, the simultaneous replacement of the heads of four diplomatic missions appears to be part of a wider restructuring of the foreign policy apparatus of Ukraine, and not a separate personnel action.
On May 18, Zelensky announced the need for "replacements and adjustments" in the diplomatic corps, and on July 15 he directly stated that he was discussing with the first Deputy Head of the Office of the President Serhiy Kyslytsia and Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiga a list of Ukrainian ambassadors who need to be replaced.
The rotation began even before the series of decisions adopted in August. In particular, on June 26, the president dismissed the ambassadors of Ukraine in Oman, Cyprus, as well as in Vietnam and Cambodia. At the same time, new appointments were made in other diplomatic areas.
Thus, we are talking about the successive renewal of the network of Ukrainian foreign missions over the course of several months.
Three out of four ambassadors worked for more than six years
The terms of tenure of diplomats also give reason to consider the August decisions primarily in the context of rotation.
Vasyl Kyrylych was appointed ambassador of Ukraine to Croatia on December 24, 2019 and worked in Zagreb for over six and a half years.
Volodymyr Shkurov headed the Ukrainian Embassy in Albania on April 13, 2020 and also held the position for over six years.
Markiyan Chuchuk was appointed Ambassador of Ukraine to Pakistan on April 17, 2020. His diplomatic mission lasted more than six years.
Oleg Gerasimenko headed the Ukrainian embassy in Montenegro from May 4, 2022 — a little more than four years.
The very fact that three out of four diplomats have been in their positions for a long time is an additional argument in favor of the version about planned personnel rotation. The published decrees do not specify the reasons for the dismissals separately.
It is particularly telling that three of the four August decisions concern Southeastern Europe — Croatia, Albania and Montenegro.
Experts Club draws attention to the fact that the importance of this region for Ukrainian diplomacy has grown significantly.
Croatia is a member of the EU and NATO and remains one of Ukraine's consistent partners. The Croatian experience of post-war reconstruction, demining, population return and integration of territories after the conflicts of the 1990s is also important for Kyiv.
Albania is also a member of NATO and actively supports Ukraine on international platforms. It was Tirana that hosted one of the previous summits in the format "Ukraine - Southeast Europe".
Montenegro is of another interest. It is a member of NATO and at the same time the most promising candidate for joining the EU among the countries of the Western Balkans. Therefore, relations with Podgorica are becoming important for Kyiv in the context of its own European integration.
On July 15, Kyiv hosted the fifth "Ukraine - Southeast Europe" summit, which was attended by representatives of Albania, Croatia, and Montenegro. The participants once again confirmed their support for Ukraine and the need to expand regional cooperation.
Against this background, the almost simultaneous replacement of three Ukrainian ambassadors in the Balkan states may indicate Kyiv's desire to provide additional dynamics to this direction.
Of the three Balkan appointments, Montenegro may be the most interesting.
Podgorica expects to complete negotiations on joining the European Union and become one of the next new EU members. For Ukraine, which is also negotiating membership, the experience of Montenegro can be of practical importance.
In addition, Ukraine is gradually building a separate network of relations with the countries of the Adriatic region — Croatia, Montenegro, Albania, and neighboring Serbia.
The latest example is Zelensky's official visit to Belgrade on August 8 and talks with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, during which free trade issues were discussed. energy, agriculture, restoration of Ukraine and political cooperation.
Thus, the Balkans are gradually turning from a secondary direction of Ukrainian diplomacy into an independent regional track.
The replacement of the ambassador in Pakistan poses a completely different task.
Islamabad is important for Ukraine as one of the largest centers of South Asia and a representative of the so-called Global South. The population of Pakistan is approaching 250 million people, the country has significant regional political influence and is a nuclear power.
At the same time, Pakistan's foreign policy is based on a complex system of relations with China, the USA, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, India, the Russian Federation, and the Persian Gulf states.
For Ukraine, expanding contacts with Pakistan can be important in several directions at once - food trade, industry, international organizations and the formation of support for Kyiv among the states of Asia and the Muslim world.
In the conditions when Ukraine's foreign policy focuses less and less exclusively on the EU and the USA, embassies in countries such as Pakistan, India, the Persian Gulf states, Indonesia and African countries are gaining more importance.
That is why the replacement of the ambassador in Islamabad after more than six years of mission seems to be a logical part of the renewal of the Asian direction.
The August dismissals are probably not the end of the process.
On July 15, Zelenskyi publicly spoke about the formation of a "pool of ambassadors" who are planned to be replaced. This allows us to assume the appearance of new personnel decrees in the coming weeks.
At the same time, the current diplomatic rotation coincides with larger personnel changes in the Ukrainian system of power, which took place in July and affected the government, the power bloc and other state institutions.
In the opinion of the Experts Club, the most important thing will not be the number of dismissed diplomats, but who Kyiv appoints in their place.
If not only career diplomats, but also former ministers, representatives of the President's Office, economic negotiators or well-known statesmen will be appointed to key positions, this may indicate Ukraine's transition to a model of so-called political diplomacy, when embassies receive more specific economic, investment and negotiation tasks.
As of August 10, 2026, presidential decrees on the appointment of new ambassadors of Ukraine to Croatia, Albania, Montenegro and Pakistan have not been published.
Experts Club believes that future appointments will allow a more precise understanding of the logic of the current rotation.
If diplomats with significant European and economic experience are sent to Zagreb, Tirana and Podgorica, this will confirm the strengthening of the Balkan direction. The appointment of a specialist in Asia, trade diplomacy or relations with the Global South to Islamabad, in turn, may signal the expansion of Ukrainian activity outside the traditional circle of Western partners.
In general, the current rotation indicates the transition of Ukrainian diplomacy to a new stage: after four years of full-scale war, embassies are required not only to ensure international support for Ukraine, but also to work on EU membership, the country's recovery, exports, and involvement investments and the formation of long-term regional unions.
