Zelenskyy appoints Syvak as Ambassador to Botswana

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appointed Oleksii Syvak as Ambassador to Botswana.

This is stated in decree No. 508 of August 19, Ukrainian News Agency reports.

"To appoint Oleksii Volodymyrovych Syvak as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Republic of Botswana," the document states.

At the same time, by decree No. 507 of August 19, Zelenskyy dismissed the Ambassador of Ukraine to the Republic of South Africa, Liubov Abravitova, from the post of Ambassador to Botswana concurrently.

In his 2023 income declaration, Sнvak declared UAH 255,500 in salary for his main job at the consulting company CFC Big Ideas, which provides services in the field of strategic communications and relations with state authorities (he was the director of interaction with state authorities government) and UAH 2.3 million of income from entrepreneurial activity.

The CFC Big Ideas website notes that Syvak, a partner and GR director, joined the CFC team in November 2003. Before joining CFC Big Ideas, Syvak held the position of senior consultant of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine.

Syvak is a graduate of the Naval Postgraduate School (Monterey, CA, USA), where he earned a master's degree in international security and civil-military relations. He also holds a master's degree in international relations from the Institute of International Relations of the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv (Ukraine).

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, Ukraine opened an embassy in Botswana in April.

In June 2021, Zelenskyy appointed the Ambassador to the Republic of South Africa, Liubov Abravitova, as a Ambassador to Botswana and Mozambique concurrently.