Canadian embassy in Kyiv still shuttered despite ‘reopening’ in May

The blinds are still drawn and the gates are padlocked at the Canadian embassy in Kyiv, months after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the building’s official reopening.

The blinds are still drawn, and the gates remain padlocked at the Canadian embassy in Kyiv, almost three months after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau hoisted the flag up the pole and announced the building’s official reopening.

Confusion persists over the meaning of the May 8 ceremony, which was timed to coincide with Trudeau’s visit to Ukraine to meet President Volodomyr Zelenskyy.

On a visit to the property this week, the only signs of life are three security guards crammed into a small outhouse down the side of the structure. Security guard Sergii Maier, who remained there while it was closed and was personally thanked for his service during Trudeau’s visit, is one of them.

A notice on the steel gates surrounding the building informs visiting Canadians that services are “temporarily suspended” due to the “security situation.”

An email address is provided for those in Ukraine needing consular assistance, as well as the contact details for the Emergency Watch and Response Centre in Ottawa.

When Global News asked the security guards if we could go inside, they said it was closed and provided an email address to contact for assistance. When we asked if the building was staffed on any day of the week, they told us it was not.

During his visit on May 8, Trudeau was not clear what “reopening” meant from an operational point of view, or whether Ambassador of Canada to Ukraine Larisa Galadza — who joined him at the ceremony — would reassume her office there.

In his French translation, he said the embassy was reopening that day, and Galadza would start working there “now.” Asked by a journalist afterwards if the embassy was now officially open, Trudeau ignored the question.