Greece’s Last Ambassador to Kyiv: "The Greeks of Ukraine Are at God’s Mercy"

March 21, 2025 • 7:30 | By Panagiotis Pavlos, "Democracy" Newspaper

KYIV – As the war in Ukraine marks its third year, Vasilios Bornovas, Greece’s last ambassador to Kyiv, has voiced sharp criticism of Greek foreign policy, lamenting the neglect of the Greek minority in Ukraine.

In an exclusive interview with "Democracy" Newspaper, Bornovas—who served in Kyiv until hostilities erupted—detailed the struggles of the Greek diaspora and the lack of support from both Greece and Ukrainian authorities.

Bornovas, who frequently visited Mariupol and Greek-speaking regions of eastern Ukraine, highlighted a glaring absence of cultural investment. “Greece has never been interested in building a single Greek school here,” he said. “There’s a broader indifference to promoting our language and culture abroad.” He contrasted this with nations like Spain, France, and Turkey, which maintain numerous cultural centers worldwide.

The ambassador recounted his efforts to transform the Sismanoglio Mansion in Constantinople into a thriving cultural hub—an initiative funded by Greek private foundations but met with resistance from his own ministry. “They wouldn’t even pay the electricity bill,” he noted wryly. His reassignment soon followed, underscoring what he sees as chronic dysfunction in Greece’s Foreign Ministry.

In Ukraine, Bornovas stressed the dire need for a Greek school to sustain the diaspora’s identity. “The people I met love Greece deeply, but a few hours of Greek lessons daily aren’t enough,” he said. Many have since fled, with a significant portion relocating to Russia, where their Russian fluency offers better prospects.

He also criticized Greece’s failure to appoint a consul general in Mariupol in the year before the war, despite escalating tensions. “I traveled there myself on weekends to fill the gap,” he said. In the Greek villages near the conflict zone, he found communities already worn down by neglect, caught between Ukrainian provocations and Russian reprisals. Local oligarchs, he added, had exploited the situation, leasing Greek lands for a pittance and sidelining the population.

“The Greeks of Ukraine are at God’s mercy,” Bornovas concluded. “Without a productive base or serious support, their future remains uncertain.”