Russia’s Ambassador to the U.S. Dies ‘Suddenly’ at 66, and Moscow Gives No Cause

Alexander Darchiev, Russia’s ambassador to the United States, died Wednesday at age 66, Russia’s Foreign Ministry announced, saying only that he “passed away suddenly.”

The ministry did not give a cause of death or say where Darchiev died, Politico reported. Putin appointed him in March 2025, shortly after President Donald Trump returned to the White House.

“We have lost an outstanding diplomat, an experienced leader, a kind colleague and a mentor,” the ministry said in its statement, which the Daily Caller reported was first posted on X and linked to a longer notice on Telegram.

The ministry called Darchiev “an exceptional professional and a distinguished expert on the United States” who “served in one of the most demanding areas of Russian foreign policy.” It also extended condolences to his family.

Darchiev was known for his public denunciations of the West, CNN reported. His tenure coincided with a thaw in relations as Trump opened bilateral talks with Moscow and scaled back aid to Ukraine.

He replaced Anatoly Antonov as Moscow’s envoy in Washington, Euronews reported, and had served at Russia’s embassy in the U.S. capital in the late 2000s. When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, he called the move a “necessary measure.”

Before Washington, Darchiev served as Russia’s ambassador to Canada and led the Foreign Ministry’s North America department, The Guardian reported. Accounts of the exact years he held those posts differ.

His absence was noted on Capitol Hill at least once. Politico noted an empty table set for him at a Senate hearing on Ukraine on Dec. 3, 2025, which he did not attend.

The Daily Caller said it asked the White House and the State Department for comment but had not heard back by publication.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry did not say who will lead the embassy in Washington in the interim. The Washington Examiner also reported that no cause of death was immediately announced.

Darchiev is not the first senior Russian diplomat to die suddenly in a top Western post. CNN noted that Vitaly Churkin, Moscow’s ambassador to the United Nations, died of cardiac arrest in 2017, one day before his 65th birthday.

Content created by Conservative Daily News and some content syndicated through CDN is available for re-publication without charge under the Creative Commons license. Visit our syndication page for details and requirements.