After nearly 2 years, Ukraine appoints Fegyir Sándor, ‘teacher from the trenches’, as ambassador to Hungary

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has officially appointed Fegyir Sándor as Ukraine’s ambassador to Hungary, ending a nearly two-year period during which the country was represented only by an acting ambassador in Budapest.

Long-delayed appointment

Sándor’s appointment had been under consideration since early 2023, but significant delays postponed the decision. One of the reasons for the holdup, as reported by HVG, was resistance within Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where some officials preferred a different candidate. Additionally, Sándor had to wait for (then-) Hungarian President Katalin Novák to issue the diplomatic accreditation, which was finalised only in August 2023, Telex reports.

András Rácz, a Russia expert, commented on Sándor’s appointment in a Facebook post, stating, “His task won’t be easy for several reasons… but I’m confident he’ll excel in this role as well.”

A multifaceted background

Born in Uzhhorod in 1975, Fegyir Sándor comes from a multicultural family—his father is of Hungarian-Slovak descent, while his mother has Ukrainian-Italian roots. Sándor studied history at Uzhhorod National University, later pursuing legal studies and earning advanced academic degrees in sociology and philosophy.

Before entering politics, he taught history and geography at an elementary school in Uzhhorod and led the Zakarpattia tourism office for a time. In 2020, he joined Volodymyr Zelensky’s Servant of the People party and was elected to the regional parliament of Zakarpattia (Transcarpathia).

From the trenches to diplomacy

Sándor gained international attention during the early months of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. As a professor at Uzhhorod National University, he volunteered for the Ukrainian military and became known as the “professor from the trenches” after a photo emerged of him conducting online university lectures on tourism while stationed near the front lines.