VIENNA — Ukraine has recalled its ambassador to Austria, Wassyl Chymynez, ending a five-year posting that spanned some of the most critical months of the war with Russia. The presidential office in Kyiv published the decree on Monday, confirming the diplomat’s departure, according to Kronen Zeitung.
Chymynez, who was appointed on July 30, 2021, said the move was expected. “This decree is not surprising to me, because the usual five years are over,” he told reporters while on a business trip in Kyiv. He will return briefly to Vienna to complete handover formalities before leaving his post.
During his tenure, Chymynez focused heavily on securing Austrian solidarity with Ukraine, lobbying for political support, humanitarian aid, and stronger sanctions against Moscow. His time in Vienna coincided with Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022 and the subsequent struggle to keep international attention on Ukraine’s defense and reconstruction.
A career diplomat born in 1970, Chymynez studied German language and literature as well as economics before joining Ukraine’s foreign service. He began his diplomatic career in Austria in 1997 as second secretary at the Ukrainian embassy, later serving at the foreign ministry in Kyiv and at Ukraine’s embassy in Berlin.
No successor has been officially named. In Kyiv’s diplomatic circles, speculation points to a younger Ukrainian diplomat with prior Austria experience taking over the Vienna mission, signaling a generational shift in the country’s foreign service.
The recall marks the end of a chapter in Ukraine–Austria relations that saw intense advocacy from Chymynez, who often highlighted Austria’s energy ties to Russia and urged faster moves toward EU integration for Ukraine.
