Denys Mykhailiuk, the Charge d’affaires at the Ukraine Embassy in Malaysia, said his country appreciates Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s (main image) brave stance at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in September.
He has also invited Wisma Putra to send a representative to its embassy in Kyiv – although the city suffered its first attack in two months on Saturday.
While some buildings in nearby regions sustained damage, there were no significant casualties or damage in the Ukraine capital.
Mykhailiuk said that since the Russian invasion in February 2022, many countries had withdrawn their ambassadors or representatives from Kyiv, but after the initial shock of the attack, more than 70 nations have reopened their embassies.
“Despite what is going on in my country, our capital, Kyiv, is the most well-protected city from aerial attacks in the world. That is why more and more countries have sent representatives back to their embassies,” said Mykhailiuk.
“We (Ukraine embassy) would love to see the Malaysian representatives return to their embassy and have written to Wisma Putra inviting them to bring their staff back to our country, as Malaysia has a long-standing history of democracy.
“Despite everything, I want to assure you that Kyiv is a safe city.”
The attack on Saturday came as Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued a warning, telling Ukrainians to brace themselves for another Russian offensive on the Ukrainian power grid as winter draws near.
A year ago, attacks left hundreds of thousands of people without electricity or heat in the coldest months of the year.
Mykhailiuk hailed Anwar’s bravery for speaking out against Russian aggression at UNGA.
In his maiden speech at the UN as Malaysia’s 10th prime minister in September, Anwar called for a coordinated international effort, led by the UN, to end all hostilities and humanitarian crises worldwide, citing Ukraine, Afghanistan, Myanmar, and Palestine.
“Our country appreciates what Anwar said at the United Nations General Assembly. It meant a lot to us that Malaysia stood up for us against the oppression by Russia,” said Mykhailiuk.
“He had previously spoken out against the attacks as the (Malaysian) opposition leader. His speech at the UNGA was the first time he spoke about this situation at such a high level, as the leader of Malaysia.
“We are thankful for his support of international law and human rights. We hope to get more support from other countries as well.”
Mykhailiuk added that he hoped more countries would honour the sanctions imposed on Russia, which has managed to find ways to bypass many of them.
Mykhailiuk said that Ukraine urgently needed humanitarian aid, medicines, books, and notebooks for school children.
“We understand some countries do not want to give military aid. We completely understand that, but with winter coming, we desperately need medical or personal hygiene items, warm clothing, sanitisers, and soap,” he added.
