Russia’s ambassador to the United States, Alexander Darchiev, has died at the age of 66, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced on Wednesday. It gave no cause of death and did not say where he died, stating only that he “passed away suddenly”.
The ministry described Darchiev as an “outstanding diplomat, an experienced leader and a kind colleague” who had served “in one of the most critical areas of Russian foreign policy,” according to Al Jazeera.
“We express our deepest condolences to his family and friends,” the statement said, in the version carried by Hiru News, which also reported the ministry calling him an exceptional professional.
A Washington specialist
Darchiev was appointed ambassador to Washington in March 2025, succeeding Anatoly Antonov. The appointment came shortly after President Donald Trump’s return to office, during a period of attempted re-engagement between Moscow and Washington and with Russia’s war in Ukraine continuing.
He was a career diplomat with a long association with the United States and North America. Before the ambassadorship he held a succession of posts at the Russian Foreign Ministry, the Russian embassy in Washington said. His earlier career included service at the embassy in Washington, a posting as Russia’s ambassador to Canada, and a period heading the ministry’s North American Department.
Hiru News described him as a veteran diplomat known for sharp criticism of Western governments.
Not reported
Neither filing gives a cause of death, the place of death, or the date on which he died as distinct from the date of the announcement. Neither reports any reaction from the US State Department or other Washington officials, and neither says who will lead the Russian embassy in the interim or when a successor might be named. Al Jazeera’s account notes the absence of US comment.
Accounts of Darchiev’s earlier career differ in their detail across outlets, and the specific year ranges for his Canada posting and his time heading the North American Department could not be reconciled between sources; they are therefore given here without dates.
