Fled from Zelensky: Ukraine’s Minister of Unity Oleksiy Chernyshov did not return to Ukraine after a working visit to Austria

Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Chernyshov remains abroad following a scandal involving a search of his property and the arrest of his close associates in Ukraine.

This was noted by journalist Mykhailo Tkach.

“As expected, Deputy Prime Minister Chernyshov has not returned to Ukraine. Six days ago, he announced a forum organized by his ministry, but when the event took place in Kyiv (on June 17), he joined it online for some reason. According to law enforcement sources, he has not crossed the border back into Ukraine,” Tkach wrote.

According to Chernyshov’s Facebook page, he is still abroad. Today, he is holding meetings in Strasbourg. Yesterday, he was in Vienna. In fact, he was in Austria at the time the aforementioned forum was being held in Kyiv.

Notably, President Volodymyr Zelensky was also in Vienna on Monday. During his visit, he said that one of the topics discussed with Austrian officials was the extradition of Ukrainian citizens at the request of Ukraine. At the same time, one of Zelensky’s closest officials—Chernyshov—appears in no rush to return to Ukraine, where he could potentially become a suspect in a criminal case.

This situation has already sparked memes.

“There’s something ironic about a minister responsible for bringing Ukrainians back home who has himself fled abroad,” people are commenting on social media.

As a reminder, after Chernyshov left the country, his property in Ukraine was searched, and the NABU (National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine) and SAP (Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office) detained two of his close allies—Maksym Horbatiuk, Director of Commercial Affairs at Ukrgazvydobuvannya, and Vasyl Volodin, a board member at Naftogaz.