| Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Hellenic Republic | |
|---|---|
| Emblem of the Russian Foreign Ministry | |
since 12 July 2014 | |
| Ministry of Foreign Affairs Embassy of Russia in Athens | |
| Style | His Excellency The Honourable |
| Reports to | Minister of Foreign Affairs |
| Seat | Athens |
| Appointer | President of Russia |
| Term length | At the pleasure of the president |
| Website | Embassy of Russia in Greece |
The ambassador of Russia to Greece is the official representative of the president and the government of the Russian Federation to the president and the government of Greece.
The ambassador and his staff work at large in the Russian embassy in Athens. [1] There is a consulate-general in Thessaloniki, and honorary consuls in Alexandroupoli, Corfu, Heraklion, Lamia, Nafplio and Patras. [2] The current Russian ambassador to Greece is Andrey Maslov , incumbent since 12 July 2014. [3]
Diplomatic relations between the forerunners of the modern states of Greece and Russia date back to the early nineteenth century. The Russian Empire supported the Greek independence movement against the Ottoman Empire during the eighteenth century, with Catherine the Great's Greek Project and support for the Orlov revolt during the Russo-Turkish war. Early attempts to establish an independent Greek state ended in failure, until the Russian-backed Greek War of Independence in the 1820s resulted in the establishment of the First Hellenic Republic, through which the Russian Party-supporting Greek leaders enjoyed considerable power. The Russian empire established relations with the First Hellenic Republic on 6 September [18 September N.S. ] 1828. [4] The first mission was based in Nafplio from 1828, before moving to Athens in 1834 with the establishment of the Kingdom of Greece. [5] [6]
Relations between the two countries were maintained during the nineteenth and into the twentieth centuries, and after the February Revolution in 1917 overthrew the Russian monarchy and established the Russian Provisional Government. Relations were however broken off after the October Revolution brought the Bolshevik regime to power. Relations were restored between what was by then the Soviet Union and the Second Hellenic Republic on 8 March 1924, and Aleksey Ustinov was appointed the first plenipotentiary representative. [4] [7] Relations were maintained until the Axis occupation of Greece in June 1941. The Soviet Union joined the Allied side following the Axis invasion of the Soviet Union later in June, and established relations with the Greek government-in-exile in London as part of the Soviet embassy to the Allied governments . [8] The Greek government moved to Cairo in 1943, and representation was transferred to the Soviet embassy in Cairo, with the Soviet ambassador to Egypt given dual accreditation to the Greek government. This lasted until the return of the Greek government to Greece after the war, and in 1945 Konstantin Rodionov was appointed the ambassador to Greece. [8]
With the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, Greece recognised the Russian Federation as its successor state on 27 December 1991. [4]
| Name | Title | Appointment | Termination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Bulgari | Special representative | 2 July 1828 | 31 March 1829 | |
| Viktor Panin | Chargé d'affaires | 31 March 1829 | 7 May 1831 | |
| Pyotr Rikman | Chargé d'affaires | 27 December 1830 | 4 June 1833 | |
| Gavriil Katakazi | Special representative before 31 July 1833 Envoy after 31 July 1833 | 13 December 1832 | 16 October 1843 | |
| Ivan Persiani | Chargé d'affaires | 11 November 1843 | 9 January 1857 | |
| Aleksandr Ozerov | Envoy | 9 January 1857 | 25 October 1861 | |
| Andrey Bludov | Envoy | 25 October 1861 | 30 August 1865 | |
| Yevgeny Novikov | Envoy | 30 August 1865 | 29 May 1870 | |
| Peter Saburov | Envoy | 29 May 1870 | 22 December 1879 | |
| Mikhail Bartolomey | Envoy | 26 April 1880 | 16 June 1880 | |
| Nikolai Shishkin | Envoy | 16 June 1880 | 8 February 1884 | |
| Yevgeny Byutsov | Envoy | 9 February 1884 | 15 November 1889 | |
| Mikhail Onu | Envoy | 15 November 1889 | 20 May 1901 | |
| Roman Rosen | Envoy | 1 June 1901 | 1902 | |
| Yuri Shcherbachyov | Envoy | 12 November 1902 | 17 May 1910 | |
| Sergey Sverbeyev | Envoy | 1910 | 1912 | |
| Elim Demidov | Envoy | 1912 | 3 March 1917 | |
| Name | Title | Appointment | Termination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elim Demidov | Envoy | March 1917 | 26 October 1917 | |
| Name | Title | Appointment | Termination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valery Nikolayenko | Ambassador | 18 March 1992 | 17 April 1997 | |
| Valentina Matviyenko | Ambassador | 2 October 1997 | 24 September 1998 | |
| Mikhail Bocharnikov | Ambassador | 13 January 1999 | 10 November 2003 | |
| Andrey Vdovin | Ambassador | 17 November 2003 | 24 December 2008 | |
| Vladimir Chkhikvishvili | Ambassador | 24 December 2008 | 16 June 2014 | Credentials presented on 27 February 2009 |
| Andrey Maslov | Ambassador | 16 June 2014 | ||