In a diplomatic reshuffle, the outspoken and charismatic Ukrainian ambassador to Japan, Sergiy Korsunsky, is set to be replaced.

Korsunsky played a key role in galvanizing Tokyo¡¯s support for Kyiv amid Russia¡¯s ongoing invasion. The announcement by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday came a day after he approved over 30 other ambassadorial appointments. A successor has yet to be named.

The ambassador confirmed to The Japan Times that his four-year term had already been eclipsed, calling the reshuffle ¡°nothing special.¡±

¡°By diplomatic practice, I have a couple of months to finish the current appointment,¡± he said. ¡°And I do have many important events scheduled in connection to the February 24 anniversary of (the) war,¡± adding that he will be in Japan as Ukraine marks three years since the Russian invasion.

¡°I will fulfill all of my obligations,¡± he said.

For his next step, Korsunsky said that he will resign from Ukraine¡¯s Foreign Ministry to focus on private ventures, including assisting Japanese companies in their operations in his country and writing books and articles on East Asian geopolitics.

Appointed as Ukraine¡¯s ambassador to Japan in 2020, Korsunsky has been a dynamic presence, traveling across Japan to rally support for his homeland.

Last month, Korsunsky warned that North Korea¡¯s provision of troops and military equipment to Russia marks a ¡°dangerous development,¡± but said the real concern lies in what Moscow offers Pyongyang in return ¡ª likely access to advanced technologies and warfare tactics, presenting a threat to East Asian security.

In an interview last year, the ambassador reflected on how the war shifted his focus away from his initial priorities, such as strengthening economic ties in agricultural cooperation.

Since the invasion began, Korsunsky, a seasoned official who has worked in government since 1991, has tirelessly worked to share updates on the war, cooperate with the Japanese government, and assist Ukrainian evacuees in Japan. He has described the overwhelming support from the Japanese public as a heartfelt ¡°wave of compassion.¡±

In his announcement Saturday, Zelenskyy said that in addition to dismissing Korsunsky, he was also replacing Ukraine¡¯s ambassadors to China, Lithuania and a handful of other countries.