Israel’s embassy in Germany has lambasted Ukrainian Ambassador Andriy Melnyk over recent remarks about the role of Stepan Bandera in the mass murder of Jews during the Holocaust.
"The Ukrainian ambassador's statements are a distortion of historical facts, a trivialization of the Holocaust and an insult to those who were murdered by Bandera and his people," the embassy tweeted.
Melnyk's statements not only "undermined the values we all cherish and believe in, but also undermine the courageous struggle of the Ukrainian people to live by democratic values and in peace,” the diplomatic mission continued.
Earlier in the week, Melnyk claimed that there was "zero evidence" to back up the fact that Bandera’s troops massacred Jews at the time of the Holocaust during an interview with Jung & Naiv. The German journalists offered multiple arguments to support the point, particularly reminding Melnyk that Bandera spread leaflets in Lvov calling to destroy "Moskovites, Poles, Hungarians and Jews".
"I can't understand how someone can call a mass murderer of Jews and Poles a hero," one journalist said.
However, Melnyk refused to distance himself from supporting Bandera, insisting that the infamous Ukrainian nationalist "was not a mass murderer".
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry quickly distanced itself from Melnyk's statements. Nonetheless, the remarks have caused a massive backlash, including from Poland and Germany. Both countries, however, were quick to echo Kiev's swift note that Melnyk only expressed his "personal opinion" and not the official position of Ukraine.
This is not the first time Melnyk finds himself in hot water over his praise for Bandera, who was one of the ideologists of Ukrainian nationalism. The Ukrainian ambassador has visited Bandera's grave in Munich, as well as other locations associated with the notorious leader, many times.