“Melnyk’s statement trivializes the Holocaust,” read the headline published by a leading German newspaper.
Ukrainian Ambassador to Germany Andriy Melnyk defended Stepan Bandera in a radio interview with a Die Welt journalist and even compared him to Robin Hood.
Melnyk’s comments indicated Holocaust denial, as he refused to admit to Bandera’s role in the murder of 800,000 Jews and tens of thousands of Poles.
Melnyk’s comments “are his personal opinion and do not reflect the position of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry,” stated Ukraine foreign ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko.