Ukrainian diplomats abroad: what are their salaries, incomes, and gifts

In 2024, the average annual salary of an Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary reached UAH 2.95 million – this includes compensatory payments as part of the Payroll Fund. This is stated in a YouControl study, UNN reports.

DetailsAt the same time, compensatory payments alone accounted for 65% or more of the total salary of 39 analyzed diplomats. Five of the 44 analyzed ambassadors did not have such a component of income from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The salary range for diplomatic representatives in 2024 is quite wide – from UAH 585,000 without separately declared compensatory payments – to UAH 4.3 million including compensatory payments.

At the same time, salary along with compensatory payments is far from the only source of income for Ambassadors Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine. For example, in 2024, a number of additional income items were recorded, including interest on bank deposits, pensions and social payments, income from property rental, income from the alienation of movable property, dividends, etc.

The largest amount of over UAH 1 million in income from property rental among the analyzed ambassadors in 2024 was received by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to France, Vadym Omelchenko. He received these funds from a foreign citizen.

Also in 2024, the following Ukrainian diplomats received gifts:

• Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to Germany, Oleksiy Makeyev. This refers to a non-monetary gift worth about UAH 860,000 from a probable relative, Larysa Makeyeva;
• Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the United Mexican States, Serhiy Pohoreltsiev. He received a non-monetary gift worth UAH 150,000 from Valentyna Pohoreltsieva, with whom he likely has a family connection.

Two other current ambassadors received dividends, as they are owners of corporate rights and shares of legal entities:

• Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Slovak Republic, Myroslav Kastran. In 2024, he declared small packages of shares in 22 foreign companies, including Apple Inc., Marvell Technology, Inc., Uber Technologies, Inc., and received dividends totaling UAH 2,531 from 6 of them;

• Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the State of Israel, Yevhen Korniychuk. According to the 2024 declaration, he is a beneficiary of 13 Ukrainian companies. From 6 of them, he received dividends totaling about UAH 19 million. The main part of this amount (UAH 11.6 million) comes from dividends from LLC “KS INVEST”. The ambassador’s business assets are combined in the YouControl analytical system into the corporate group “Yevhen Korniychuk Group”.

RecallEarlier, UNN, citing YouControl, reported that Ukraine is represented abroad by 76 ambassadors, 17 of whom were appointed in July 2025. The average age of Ambassadors Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary is 52 years. The youngest diplomats are almost 40 years old, and the oldest is just over 60.