List of ambassadors of Russia to Lithuania
| Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Lithuania | |
|---|---|
 Emblem of the Russian Foreign Ministry | |
Incumbent vacant | |
| Ministry of Foreign Affairs Embassy of Russia in Vilnius | |
| Style | His Excellency The Honourable |
| Reports to | Minister of Foreign Affairs |
| Seat | Vilnius |
| Appointer | President of Russia |
| Term length | At the pleasure of the president |
| Website | Embassy of Russia in Lithuania |
The ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Lithuania is the official representative of the president and the government of the Russian Federation to the president and the government of Lithuania.
Before the downgrade of diplomatic relations between Russia and Lithuania following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the ambassador and his staff used to work at large in the Embassy of Russia in Vilnius.[1] Since the withdrawal of the Russian ambassador in April 2022, representation has been by chargé d'affaires.[2]
History of diplomatic relations
[edit]The territory occupied by Lithuania had been part of the Russian Empire since the eighteenth century. In the aftermath of the First World War and the collapse of the empire following the Russian Revolution in 1917, Lithuania declared independence on 16 February 1918. Diplomatic relations were established between Lithuania and the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic on 12 July 1920, and Aleksandr Akselrod was appointed the first Plenipotentiary representative on 26 August that year.[3] Representation continued until the Soviet occupation of Lithuania in 1940, after which Lithuania was de facto part of the USSR for the remainder of the existence of the Soviet Union, with the exception of a period of occupation by Nazi Germany between 1941 and 1944 during the Second World War. Soviet forces re-occupied Lithuania in 1944, after which Lithuania became a constituent part of the Soviet Union as the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic.[3]
As part of the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, Lithuania's secession was recognized by the State Council of the Soviet Union on 6 September 1991. Diplomatic relations with Russia were established on 9 October 1991. Following growing diplomatic tensions in the aftermath of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Lithuanian government expelled the Russian ambassador on 4 April 2022, and closed the consulate in Klaipėda.[4] Representation has since been by chargé d'affaires.[2]
List of representatives (1920–present)
[edit]Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic to Lithuania (1920–1923)
[edit]| Name | Title | Appointment | Termination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aleksandr Akselrod | Plenipotentiary representative | 26 August 1920 | 1 March 1921 | |
| Pavel Mostovenko | Plenipotentiary representative | 1 March 1921 | 9 May 1921 | |
| Semyon Aralov | Plenipotentiary representative | 9 May 1921 | 1922 | |
| Yakov Davydov | Plenipotentiary representative | February 1922 | 15 September 1922 | |
| Aleksandr Paykes | Plenipotentiary representative | 9 November 1922 | 7 February 1923 | |
| Innokentiy Kozhevnikov | Plenipotentiary representative | 7 February 1923 | 23 July 1923 |
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics to Lithuania (1923–1940)
[edit]| Name | Title | Appointment | Termination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Innokentiy Kozhevnikov | Plenipotentiary representative | 23 July 1923 | 28 August 1923 | |
| Ivan Lorents | Plenipotentiary representative | 29 August 1923 | 9 July 1925 | |
| Sergey Aleksandrovsky | Plenipotentiary representative | 9 July 1925 | 3 June 1927 | |
| Aleksandr Arosev | Plenipotentiary representative | 21 May 1927 | 1 December 1928 | |
| S. I. Rabinovich | Chargé d'affaires | 1928 | 1928 | |
| Vladimir Antonov-Ovseenko | Plenipotentiary representative | 7 February 1929 | 19 January 1930 | |
| Adolf Petrovsky | Plenipotentiary representative | 31 January 1930 | 21 December 1930 | |
| Mikhail Karsky | Plenipotentiary representative | 19 December 1930 | 23 December 1936 | |
| Boris Podolsky | Plenipotentiary representative | 30 December 1936 | 1 November 1937 | |
| Pavel Krapivintsev | Plenipotentiary representative | 30 December 1937 | 8 October 1938 | |
| Nikolai Pozdnyakov | Plenipotentiary representative | 8 October 1938 | 3 August 1940 | |
| Fyodor Molochkov | Chargé d'affaires | October 1939 | October 1939 |
Russian Federation to Lithuania (1992–present)
[edit]| Name | Title | Appointment | Termination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nikolai Obyortyshev | Ambassador | 6 August 1992 | 14 August 1996 | |
| Konstantin Mozel | Ambassador | 2 November 1996 | 27 August 1999 | |
| Yuri Zubakov | Ambassador | 27 August 1999 | 1 August 2003 | |
| Boris Tsepov | Ambassador | 30 September 2003 | 5 May 2008 | |
| Vladimir Chkhikvadze | Ambassador | 5 May 2008 | 1 October 2013 | |
| Aleksandr Udaltsov | Ambassador | 1 October 2013 | 16 October 2020 | |
| Aleksey Isakov | Ambassador | 16 October 2020 | 4 April 2022 | |
| Sergey Ryabokon | Chargé d'affaires | 4 April 2022 | October 2022 | |
| Aleksandr Yolkin | Chargé d'affaires | October 2022 |
References
[edit]- ^ "Посольство Российской Федерации в Литовской Республике" (in Russian). Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Russia). Retrieved 20 November 2025.
- ^ a b "Дипломаты" (in Russian). Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Russia). Retrieved 20 November 2025.
- ^ a b Полномочное представительство РСФСР - СССР в Литве (in Russian). Справочник по истории Коммунистической партии и Советского Союза 1898 - 1991. Archived from the original on 6 May 2012. Retrieved 20 November 2025.
- ^ "Lithuania expels Russian ambassador over civilian deaths near Kyiv". Reuters. 4 April 2022. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
