Overview
- - The federal agency Rossotrudnichestvo confirmed his passing, noting he was 80 and that he died in his 81st year.
- - He served as Russia’s ambassador to Kuwait, Turkey, and Israel, including terms in Ankara from 2003–2007 and in Tel Aviv from 2007–2011.
- - A MGIMO graduate, he entered the foreign service in 1968, worked in Soviet embassies in Sudan, Yemen, Egypt, and Libya, and later led as deputy head of the MFA’s Middle East and North Africa department in 1991–1992.
- - He earned a doctorate in historical sciences in 2002, authored several dozen books on diplomatic history, and received the Order of Friendship and the Order of St. Sergius of Radonezh III class.
- - RIA Novosti quoted Alexander Yakovenko praising him as an outstanding diplomat and Middle East specialist, while Patriarch Kirill offered condolences noting his support for the Church’s mission in the region.