Russia Says Its Ambassador to US Alexander Darchiev Has Died at 66

Alexander Nikitich Darchiev, Russia’s ambassador to the United States, died suddenly on November 11 at the age of 66, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced. Darchiev had held the Washington posting since his appointment in March 2025. The ministry described Darchiev as an experienced leader, colleague and mentor, and as a specialist in American affairs who had served in a particularly responsible area of Russian foreign policy. “We express our deepest and most sincere condolences to Alexander Nikitich Darchiev’s family and loved ones,” the ministry said. President Vladimir Putin appointed Darchiev ambassador to the United States by decree No. 121, dated March 6, 2025, according to the ministry’s March 26 appointment record. He was concurrently appointed Russia’s permanent observer to the Organization of American States in Washington. The same record says he entered the Foreign Ministry system in 1992 and served at headquarters and abroad. He directed its North America Department in 2010–2014, was ambassador to Canada in 2014–2020, returned to lead the North America Department in 2021–2024, and directed the North Atlantic Department in 2024–2025.