Yuri Stepanovich Gryadunov ( rus, Юрий Степанович Грядунов; 2 December 1929 – 8 May 2020) was a Soviet and Russian diplomat. He served in various diplomatic roles from the 1950s onwards, specialising in the Middle Eastern region, ending his career as Ambassador of Russia to Jordan.

Career

Gryadunov was born on 2 December 1929 in the village of Sladkoye, in

Krutinsky District Krutinsky District (russian: Крути́нский райо́н) is an administrativeLaw #467-OZ and municipalLaw #548-OZ district (raion), one of the thirty-two in Omsk Oblast, Russia. It is located in the west of the oblast. The area of the dis ...

Omsk Oblast Omsk Oblast (russian: О́мская о́бласть, ''Omskaya oblast'') is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast), located in southwestern Siberia. The oblast has an area of . Its population is 1,977,665 ( 2010 Census) with the majority, 1.12 ...

, 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 ...

. After completing his schooling in 1948, he enrolled in the

Moscow Institute of Oriental Studies Moscow Institute of Oriental Studies (russian: Московский институт востоковедения, abbreviated МИВ (''MIV'')) was a university-level educational institution that operated in Moscow, Russia, in 1920–1954. It w ...

, graduating in 1953, and joining 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 ...

. His first posting was to work in the ministry's Information Committee from 1953 until 1958, after which he was appointed Second, and later First, Secretary at the Soviet embassy in Iraq. He completed this posting in 1963, returning to the Soviet Union to become First Secretary of the Foreign Ministry's Department of the Middle East, and until 1975, assistant, deputy section head, and team leader, in the Middle East and North Africa section at the

International Department of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union The International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union was a Departments of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union that overs ...

. From 1975 until 1990 Gryadunov was head of the Middle East and North Africa section of the International Department. In 1990 he was appointed Soviet ambassador to Jordan, continuing in the post after 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, until his retirement in 1992. Over his career Gryadunov received a number of awards, including the

Order of the Badge of Honour The Order of the Badge of Honour (russian: орден «Знак Почёта», orden "Znak Pochyota") was a civilian award of the Soviet Union. It was established on 25 November 1935, and was conferred on citizens of the USSR for outstanding ...

, the

Order of Friendship of Peoples The Order of Friendship of Peoples (russian: oрден Дружбы народов, translit=orden Druzhby narodov) was an order of the Soviet Union, and was awarded to persons (including non-citizens), organizations, enterprises, military unit ...

, the

Order of the Red Banner of Labour The Order of the Red Banner of Labour (russian: Орден Трудового Красного Знамени, translit=Orden Trudovogo Krasnogo Znameni) was an order of the Soviet Union established to honour great deeds and services to th ...

, and 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 ...

. He had been a member of the

Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society The Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society (russian: Императорское православное палестинское общество, ИППО), is a scholarly organization for the study of the Middle East, founded on 8 May 1882 by , ...

since 1980, and a member of the

Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation (RF CCI, russian: Торгово-промышленная палата Российской Федерации, ТПП РФ) is a non-governmental, non-profit organization that operate ...

. Gryadunov died on 8 May 2020. The

Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation (MFA Russia; russian: Министерство иностранных дел Российской Федерации, МИД РФ) is the central government institution charged with lea ...

announced his death, describing him as "highly professional" and noting that he "enjoyed great respect among colleagues."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gryadunov, Yuri 1929 births 2020 deaths People from Omsk Oblast Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary (Soviet Union) Ambassadors of Russia to Jordan Ambassadors of the Soviet Union to Jordan Recipients of the Order of Friendship of Peoples Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour