Ukraine’s former ambassador to Cyprus Speaks Out About Corruption in the Foreign Ministry, Threats Against His Family, and an Attempted Kidnapping
17 July 14:05
Serhiy Nizhynskyi, Ukraine’s former ambassador to the Republic of Cyprus, made a series of sensational statements during a meeting of the Verkhovna Rada’s Temporary Investigative Commission—chaired by People’s Deputy Oleksiy Goncharenko—regarding possible corruption schemes within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, pressure on diplomats, and threats to his own safety. This was reported by "Komersant Ukrainian".
According to Nizhynsky, while working in Cyprus, he uncovered a group of individuals whom he himself described as an “octopus” and a “criminal organization.”
“In Cyprus, I uncovered an ‘octopus’ (criminal organization) consisting of three individuals — Ruslan Nimchynskyi, the former Ukrainian ambassador to the Republic of Cyprus; security officer Yaroslav Bilozorov; and Ellinas Christodoulos, a Cypriot citizen who was at the time a candidate for honorary consul,” the diplomat stated.
According to him, Christodoulos’s candidacy for the position of honorary consul was allegedly submitted by the then-ambassador Ruslan Nimchynskyi, who, as Nizhynskyi claims, is his godfather.
The former ambassador also stated that he had contacted the National Agency for Corruption Prevention through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs after discovering these circumstances.
Allegations of Threats Against His Family
Nizhynsky reported that on March 31, his wife also began receiving threats.
“On March 31, my wife began receiving threats from this octopus. I was in Ukraine at the time, so I contacted the police regarding the intimidation of the ambassador’s family,” he said.
At the same time, the diplomat claims that he asked the leadership of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to respond to the situation and protect his family.
According to Nizhynsky, he sent memos and official letters, but these documents were not forwarded to the foreign minister.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs simply did not forward anything to the foreign minister. And it did not launch any official investigation,” he stated.
Attempted Abduction
The former diplomat also stated that after his term ended on July 11, he received a warning from foreign intelligence services.
According to him, intelligence agencies from the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Poland, and Italy advised him to change his flight immediately because an ambush was being prepared for him.
“An ambush was waiting for me on my flight. They were going to kidnap me because I had thwarted Christodoulos’s activities,” Nizhynsky said.
Accusations Against the Foreign Ministry Leadership
During his speech, Nizhynsky also spoke of pressure from State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Oleksandr Karasevych.
According to the diplomat, he was ordered to approve Ellinas Christodoulos’s candidacy for the position of honorary consul, or else he would be recalled to Ukraine.
He also claims that he later realized this was allegedly a “personal directive” from Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga.
In addition, Nizhynsky stated that Christodoulos was implicated in a criminal investigation during the tenure of Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko as a person linked to money-laundering schemes.
Request for State Protection
At the end of his speech, the former ambassador appealed to the President of Ukraine to provide him with state protection.
“If anything happens to me, the blood of my elimination will be on the hands of the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Sibiga, who failed to protect my family,” Nizhynsky said.
He also called for “an investigation into corruption schemes within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”
Editor’s Note
As of the time of publication, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Minister Andriy Sibiga, State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Oleksandr Karasevych, as well as Ruslan Nimchynskyi, Yaroslav Bilozorov, and Ellinas Christodoulos— had not publicly commented on Serhiy Nizhynsky’s statements. Should they do so, their positions will be published.
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