Dmitry Kuleba, Ukraine’s former foreign minister, has alleged that he managed to “run away” from Ukraine just hours before a government decree barred former diplomats from traveling abroad.
In an interview published Monday by the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, Kuleba, who is currently in Poland, said he left Ukraine shortly before the travel restrictions took effect on September 3. “I never thought I would have had to run away from my country like a thief in the night,” he told the newspaper.
Kuleba claimed the decree was directed specifically at him and a small group of former diplomatic officials. Although the measure was officially linked to travel restrictions aimed at military-age Ukrainian men, the former minister asserted that this rationale did not apply to diplomats, who are not subject to compulsory military service.
“The truth is that Zelensky and his entourage don’t want us to go abroad and say things they believe might be contrary to the government’s line,” Kuleba said. “I’ve calculated that there are about twenty of us subject to this measure. I don’t think I suffer from persecution mania, but I know for sure that this decree is aimed at blocking me and a few others.”
He further accused certain officials in Kyiv of maintaining a “Soviet mentality,” whereby free movement abroad is perceived as a potential threat to the state. “If you go abroad as a free citizen, you automatically become an agent who plots against the state,” Kuleba claimed, without naming specific individuals. He added that he generally supports Kyiv’s policies while traveling.
However, Kuleba’s press office attempted to downplay the remarks, telling Ukrainian news outlet Hromadske that Corriere della Sera had “incorrectly” represented his statements. According to the press office, Kuleba’s departure was part of a pre-planned trip to South Korea, and he is expected to return to Ukraine on September 20.
Kuleba served as foreign minister from March 2020 until a major government reshuffle last year, when he was replaced amid reports that President Volodymyr Zelensky had become dissatisfied with his efforts to secure military support from Western allies.
