Oleg Viktorovich Krivonogov ( rus, Олег Викторович Кривоногов; 27 July 1938 – 7 May 2021) was a Soviet and Russian diplomat. He served in various diplomatic roles from 1961 onwards, and was Ambassador of Russia to Luxembourg between 1997 and 2001.

Career

Krivonogov was born on 27 July 1938 in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

, then part of the

Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian SFSR or RSFSR ( rus, Российская Советская Федеративная Социалистическая Республика, Rossíyskaya Sovétskaya Federatívnaya Soci ...

, in the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

. He studied at

Moscow State Institute of International Relations Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) (russian: Московский государственный институт международных отношений (МГИМО), also known as MGIMO University) is an institute of ...

, graduating in 1961, and entering the diplomatic service. His first post with the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...

was as a duty assistant at the Soviet embassy in Cambodia. On his return to the USSR in 1964 he was appointed third secretary of the Ministry's South-East Asia Department, holding this post until 1967, when he became the third secretary of the USSR's Permanent Mission to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

. He was attached to the mission until 1972, over which period he advanced to the post of second secretary. Krivonogov was recalled to the USSR in 1972, and became first secretary and counselor of the Ministry's Department of International Economic Organizations. He held this position until 1978, when he became first secretary and counselor at the Soviet Union's embassy in France. His next posting, on his return to the USSR in 1983, was as head of a sector, then deputy head, of the Ministry's First European Department. This appointment was followed by his return to France as minister counselor in the embassy in 1987. He was in post during the

dissolution of the Soviet Union The dissolution of the Soviet Union, also negatively connoted as rus, Разва́л Сове́тского Сою́за, r=Razvál Sovétskogo Soyúza, ''Ruining of the Soviet Union''. was the process of internal disintegration within the Sov ...

in 1991, following which he represented the interests of the Russian Federation. He served in this role until 1993. He then returned to Russia and in 1994 was appointed director of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs's First European Department. On 10 November 1995, he was appointed to the

diplomatic rank Diplomatic rank is a system of professional and social rank used in the world of diplomacy and international relations. A diplomat's rank determines many ceremonial details, such as the order of precedence at official processions, table seating ...

of ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary. This was followed by his appointment, on 6 September 1997, as ambassador of Russia to Luxembourg. He held this post until 9 November 2001, at which point he retired. Over the course of his career, Krivonogov was awarded the

Medal "For Labour Valour" The Medal "For Labour Valour" (russian: Медаль «За трудовую доблесть») was a civilian labour award of the Soviet Union bestowed to especially deserving workers to recognise and honour dedicated and valorous labour or ...

and the

Medal "In Commemoration of the 850th Anniversary of Moscow" The Medal "In Commemoration of the 850th Anniversary of Moscow" (russian: Медаль «В память 850-летия Москвы») is a commemorative medal of the Russian Federation created to denote the 850th anniversary of the city of Mos ...

. Krivonogov died on 7 May 2021. His obituary by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs described him as "a bright, wonderful person, an extraordinary leader, a talented diplomat, a wonderful professional, an excellent mentor, a reliable and loyal comrade."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Krivonogov, Oleg 1938 births 2021 deaths Diplomats from Moscow Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary (Russian Federation) Ambassadors of Russia to Luxembourg Moscow State Institute of International Relations alumni