The public dispute surrounding former Ukrainian ambassador to Cyprus Sergii Nizhynskyi has taken a legal turn. On 29 July, Christodoulos Ellinas, Honorary Consul of Ukraine for the districts of Nicosia and Famagusta, told Interfax-Ukraine that he had notified the Cyprus Police about statements made by the former ambassador and intended, together with his lawyers, to use all lawful means available to protect his reputation.

Sergii Nizhynskyi was dismissed as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Republic of Cyprus by a presidential decree dated 26 June 2026. On 17 July, speaking at a meeting of a Temporary Investigative Commission of the Verkhovna Rada, he alleged the existence of a criminal group in Cyprus which, according to him, included former ambassador Ruslan Nimchynskyi, security officer Yaroslav Bilozorov and Christodoulos Ellinas. Nizhynskyi linked the dispute to the issue of Ellinas’s status as honorary consul and said that he had been subjected to legal and psychological pressure.

A separate part of his statement concerned the safety of the diplomat and his family. Nizhynskyi said that his wife began receiving threats on 31 March, after which he contacted the police and asked the leadership of Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to provide additional protection for the family in Cyprus. He later publicly asked President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to provide him with state protection in Ukraine.

According to Nizhynskyi, representatives of the security services of the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Poland and Italy warned him in July about a possible abduction during his return to Ukraine and advised him to change his flight. He also said that, should anything happen to him, responsibility would lie with Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, whom he accused of failing to protect his family.

Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected Nizhynskyi’s allegations. On 27 July, the ministry said it had sent the competent authorities a formal request for a legal assessment of the statements made before the parliamentary commission. The ministry had previously stated that Andrii Sybiha submitted a proposal to recall the ambassador on 10 June, before reports emerged that Nizhynskyi had submitted a resignation letter.

Christodoulos Ellinas first publicly rejected the allegations on 18 July, describing them as false, unfounded and defamatory. In his statement of 29 July, he said that he had notified the Cyprus Police and intended to seek accountability from those he considers responsible for the campaign against him. At the time of publication, open sources had not reported the registration of a civil claim or the commencement of court proceedings.

No public announcement has been made concerning the appointment of a new Ukrainian ambassador to Cyprus following Nizhynskyi’s dismissal. The embassy’s official website lists Marko Skral as First Secretary for political affairs. Embassy materials show him representing the mission at public events, including the European Aviation Strategy Summit in Nicosia. At the time of publication, there had been no official announcement appointing Skral as chargé d’affaires.