First posted on Instagram
Russia’s ambassador to the United States, Alexander Darchiev, died suddenly on Wednesday, November 11, at the age of 66, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced. The ministry gave no cause of death and did not say where he died.
“The leadership and staff of the Russian Foreign Ministry report with deep sorrow that on November 11, in his 67th year, Alexander Nikitich Darchiev, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the United States of America, died suddenly,” the ministry said in a statement posted on its official Telegram channel on Wednesday evening in Moscow. Interfax and RIA Novosti both carried the statement in full.
The ministry described Darchiev as “an outstanding diplomat, an experienced leader, a kind comrade and mentor” and “a consummate professional and a brilliant Americanist” who had worked “on one of the most responsible tracks of Russian foreign policy.” It offered “the deepest and most sincere condolences” to his family, saying “the bright memory of our colleague, who passed away untimely, will forever remain in our hearts.”
Darchiev entered the diplomatic service in 1992. He served as minister-counsellor at the Russian Embassy in Washington from 2005 to 2010 and later headed the Foreign Ministry’s North America department. He was ambassador to Canada from 2014 to 2020 and received the rank of ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary in February 2016. After returning to Moscow, he again headed the North America department from 2021 to 2024, then the North Atlantic department until 2025. His decorations included the Order of Friendship and the Order of Honor.
President Vladimir Putin appointed him ambassador to the United States on March 6, 2025, by presidential decree, succeeding Anatoly Antonov. He was also named Russia’s permanent observer to the Organization of American States in Washington. In June 2025, after presenting his credentials, Darchiev told President Donald Trump that he would work to restore relations, Reuters reported at the time.
The ministry’s statement did not name a successor or say who would temporarily head the embassy, and it provided no further details after the announcement.