Professor Fedir Shandor, who gave lectures to students from the trenches between battles, will become Ukraine’s ambassador to Hungary – his candidacy has been approved by the country’s president, atv.hu reported.

The position was vacant since June 2022, when Zelenskyy dismissed then-ambassador Liudmyla Nepop amid rising tensions with Hungary, one of the most pro-Russian countries in the EU.

Shandor is a Ukrainian of Hungarian descent from Zakarpattia, the westernmost region of Ukraine with a sizeable Hungarian minority.

He volunteered to become a soldier last February and is now a sergeant with the 68th separate Territorial Defense battalion.

Shandor teaches about tourism in the Uzhhorod Nayional University and has been actively working on Ukrainian-Hungarian relations; in particular, he has written about Ukrainian-Hungarian friendship.

Prof. Shandor also played a key role in a fundraising campaign that Hungarian civilians launched for, among others, soldiers of Hungarian origin amid difficult Hungarian-Ukrainian relations.

Meet the Ukrainian university professor who gives lectures from the trenches