Russian ambassador to US finishes tenure, returns to Moscow

MOSCOW

The Russian Embassy to the US said on Saturday that its current chief, Anatoly Antonov, concluded his tenure and returned to Moscow.

The diplomat left the country at 5 p.m. local time (2100GMT) without leaving a successor, Russian news agencies said, at a time when the two countries are facing very difficult ties.

Antonov had served in the high-stakes post of Russian ambassador to the US since 2017.

Antonov, 69, graduated from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations in 1978.

In 2004-2011, he headed the Foreign Ministry’s Department for Security and Disarmament. From 2011 to 2016, Antonov served as deputy defense minister. In December 2016, he was appointed deputy foreign minister.