Ukraine FM fires Kiev rep. in Georgia for buying home appliances
3 Min Read
The Georgian Prime Minister says Tbilisi has received evidence suggesting that the diplomat's firing was "not a political act."
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Protesters wave the Georgian, Ukrainian, and European flags outside Georgia's Parliament in Tbilisi in March 2023. (AP)
Ukraine's new Foreign Minister, Andrey Sibiga, has dismissed Mikhail Kharishin, the country's interim charge d'affaires and effective head of the Ukrainian diplomatic mission in Georgia for allegedly purchasing household appliances, according to Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze.
Speaking during a conference on Monday, the Prime Minister indicated that Tbilisi has received evidence suggesting that the diplomat's firing was "not a political act."
Kobakhidze explained that the representative "purchased household items and this was considered inadequate against the backdrop of the war," divulging that the products in question were washing machines.
Sibiga had previously announced the firing of Kiev's interim envoy in Georgia, accusing the diplomat of a "complete lack of understanding of the realities of diplomacy in a warring state." In his Facebook post, however, the Minister did not offer a clear reason for Kharishin's dismissal.
Sibiga was appointed Foreign Minister last week when his predecessor, Dmitry Kuleba, resigned as part of Volodymir Zelensky's cabinet overhaul, which saw more than half of the country's top government officials removed.
Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration Olga Stefanishina, Minister for Strategic Industries Aleksandr Kamyshin, Minister of Justice Denys Maliuski, and Minister of Environmental Protection Ruslan Strilets were dismissed last week.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also removed his deputy chief of staff, Rostyslav Shurma, who had been on the job since 2021, according to a proclamation posted on the official website.
Zelensky blames FM for lackluster arms donations
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky allegedly criticized Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba for not securing sufficient arms from Western allies, which he cited as a reason for dismissing the diplomat.
He is reportedly seen by Ukraine's foreign supporters as the most prominent figure targeted in the purge. According to a source within the party who spoke to the Suspilne news outlet, Zelensky told MPs that the diplomat "lacks the energy to drive forward the delivery of weapons."
Last week, Kuleba criticized unnamed Western donors for not providing the Patriot air defense systems that were promised to Kiev. He has also been lobbying, unsuccessfully, for the US and its allies to allow the use of Western long-range weapons for strikes deep within Russia.
According to sources close to the Ukrainian leader, cited by The Economist, Zelensky had initially planned to remove Kuleba earlier but was dissuaded by the US Department of State.
