List of ambassadors of Russia to Yemen

Last updated

Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Yemen
MID emblem.png
Emblem of the Russian Foreign Ministry
Incumbent
Yevgeny Kudrov  [ ru ]
since 1 October 2025
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Embassy of Russia in Sanaa
Style His Excellency
Reports to Minister of Foreign Affairs
Seat Sanaa
Appointer President of Russia
Term length At the pleasure of the president
Website Embassy of Russia in Yemen

The ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of Russia to Yemen is the official representative of the president and the government of the Russian Federation to the president and the government of Yemen.

Contents

The ambassador and his staff work at large in the Embassy of Russia in Sanaa. [1] The post of Russian ambassador to Yemen is currently held by Yevgeny Kudrov  [ ru ], incumbent since 1 October 2025. [2]

History of diplomatic relations

Diplomatic relations between the Soviet Union and the Kingdom of Yemen were first formalized on 1 November 1928. [3] Georgy Astakhov  [ ru ] served as diplomatic representative between May 1928 and November 1928, and then Karim Khakimov took over as plenipotentiary representative between 1929 and 1932. [4] Despite this, no long-term formal exchange of diplomats was agreed, until 31 October 1955, with an agreement to open missions on 23 June 1956. [3] Relations were initially handled through the Soviet embassy in Egypt, with the incumbent Soviet envoy to Egypt, Yevgeny Kiselyov  [ ru ], given dual accreditation as the non-resident envoy to Yemen on 4 August 1956. [4] Kiselyov was succeeded by Vladimir Yerofeyev on 14 August 1959, though the Soviet mission in Yemen had opened the previous year. Yerofeyev would eventually serve until 18 July 1962, with the establishment of consular relations on 9 June 1962, and the appointment of Nikolai Slutsky  [ ru ] as the first envoy accredited solely to Yemen. [4] Shortly afterwards, the Yemeni monarchy was overthrown in a coup on 26 September 1962, establishing the Yemen Arab Republic. The Soviet Union became the first state to recognize the new regime, on 1 October 1962. [3] Agreement was reached with the new regime to upgrade the mission to an embassy, and from 14 February 1963, Slutsky served as ambassador to the Yemen Arab Republic. [4]

The neighbouring British-controlled Protectorate of South Arabia and Federation of South Arabia had been facing an ongoing insurgency known as the Aden Emergency, resulting in the Withdrawal from Aden on 30 September 1967, and the declaration of the South Yemen, formally the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen, that day. The Soviet Union was one of the first countries to recognize the new state, and diplomatic relations were established in early December 1967. [3] [5] On 18 December the two countries agreed to exchange embassies. [5] Vladimir Startsev  [ ru ] became the first Soviet ambassador to the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen, appointed on 4 April 1968. Ambassadors were thereafter exchanged between the Soviet Union and both the Yemen Arab Republic and the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen. [5] With Yemeni unification occurring on 22 May 1990, the incumbent Soviet ambassador to the Yemen Arab Republic, Veniamin Popov  [ ru ], continued in post as ambassador to the new state of the Republic of Yemen. [4]

The dissolution of the Soviet Union took place the following year, and Yemen recognized the Russian Federation as its successor state. The incumbent Soviet ambassador, Igor Ivashchenko  [ ru ], continued as the Russian ambassador until 1995. [4] Representation continued through the remainder of the twentieth century and into the twenty-first. By the late 2010s, the security situation in the country had deteriorated during the Yemeni civil war, and the Russian embassy was evacuated. Ambassador Vladimir Dedushkin  [ ru ] served until 30 November 2021, after which representation was by chargé d'affaires , with the Minister-Counselor of the Russian embassy in Saudi Arabia, Yevgeny Kudrov  [ ru ], appointed to this role. [2] The embassy in Yemen was reopened in December 2024, with Kudrov continuing as chargé d'affaires until 1 October 2025, when he was appointed the new ambassador to Yemen. [2]

List of representatives (1928–present)

Soviet Union to the Kingdom of Yemen (1928-1962)

NameTitleAppointmentTerminationNotes
Georgy Astakhov  [ ru ] Diplomatic representative May 1928November 1928
Karim Khakimov Plenipotentiary representative 19291932
Yevgeny Kiselyov  [ ru ] Envoy 4 August 195614 August 1959 Credentials presented on 14 January 1958
Concurrently Soviet envoy to Egypt
Vladimir Yerofeyev Envoy 14 August 195918 July 1962 Credentials presented on 7 February 1960
Concurrently Soviet envoy to Egypt
Nikolai Slutsky  [ ru ] Envoy 18 July 19621 October 1962 Credentials presented on 9 August 1962

Soviet Union to the Yemen Arab Republic (1962-1990)

NameTitleAppointmentTerminationNotes
Nikolai Slutsky  [ ru ] Envoy until 14 February 1963
Ambassador after 14 February 1963
1 October 19627 September 1966 Credentials presented on 19 February 1963
Mirzo Rakhmatov  [ ru ] Ambassador 7 September 196626 May 1972 Credentials presented on 24 September 1966
Vasily Kornev  [ ru ] Ambassador 26 May 197215 July 1980 Credentials presented on 15 August 1972
Oleg Peresypkin  [ ru ] Ambassador 15 July 19803 September 1984 Credentials presented on 8 September 1980
Anatoly Filyov  [ ru ] Ambassador 3 September 19849 June 1987 Credentials presented on 22 September 1984
Veniamin Popov  [ ru ] Ambassador 9 June 198722 May 1990
Unification of North Yemen and South Yemen on 22 May 1990

Soviet Union to the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (1968-1990)

NameTitleAppointmentTerminationNotes
Vladimir Startsev  [ ru ] Ambassador 4 April 196826 July 1972 Credentials presented on 7 May 1967
Vladimir Polyakov Ambassador 26 July 19724 April 1974 Credentials presented on 27 August 1972
Aleksandr Semioshkin  [ ru ] Ambassador 25 June 19742 August 1975 Credentials presented on 14 July 1974
Vladimir Kaboshkin  [ ru ] Ambassador 2 August 197519 December 1978 Credentials presented on 27 September 1975
Feliks Fedotov  [ ru ] Ambassador 19 December 19783 May 1982 Credentials presented on 6 January 1979
Vladislav Zhukov  [ ru ] Ambassador 3 May 198215 July 1986 Credentials presented on 26 May 1982
Albert Rachkov Ambassador 3 May 19829 August 1990
Unification of North Yemen and South Yemen on 22 May 1990

Soviet Union to the Republic of Yemen (1990-1991)

NameTitleAppointmentTerminationNotes
Veniamin Popov  [ ru ] Ambassador 22 May 199018 March 1991
Igor Ivashchenko  [ ru ] Ambassador 18 March 199125 December 1991

Russian Federation to the Republic of Yemen (1991-present)

NameTitleAppointmentTerminationNotes
Igor Ivashchenko  [ ru ] Ambassador 25 December 199114 April 1995
Nikolai Gribkov  [ ru ] Ambassador 14 April 199512 November 1998
Aleksandr Kalugin  [ ru ] Ambassador 12 November 199810 September 2002
Aleksandr Zasypkin  [ ru ] Ambassador 10 September 200218 October 2006
Vladimir Trofimov  [ ru ] Ambassador 18 October 200618 August 2010
Sergey Kozlov  [ ru ] Ambassador 18 August 201016 August 2013
Vladimir Dedushkin  [ ru ] Ambassador 16 August 201330 November 2021
Yevgeny Kudrov  [ ru ] Chargé d'affaires from December 2021 to 1 October 2025
Ambassador after 1 October 2025
December 2021 Credentials presented on 20 November 2025

References

  1. "Посольство Российской Федерации в Йеменской Республике" (in Russian). Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Russia) . Retrieved 28 November 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 "Посол" (in Russian). Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Russia) . Retrieved 28 November 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Статья ВПД России о 95-летии отношений с Йеменом" (in Russian). Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Russia) . Retrieved 28 November 2025.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Миссия - Посольство СССР в Йемене" (in Russian). knowbysight.info. Retrieved 28 November 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 "Посольство СССР в Народной Демократической Республике Йемен" (in Russian). knowbysight.info. Retrieved 28 November 2025.