The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics to Czechoslovakia was the official representative of the General Secretary and the Government of the Soviet Union to the President and the Government of Czechoslovakia.
The position of Soviet ambassador to Czechoslovakia lasted from the first establishment of relations in 1922, until the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. Representation was maintained between the Czechoslovak state and the Soviet Union's successor, the Russian Federation, until the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1993. Thereafter the Russian Federation has maintained relations with both successor states, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and has ambassadors to both.
History of diplomatic relations
Diplomatic exchanges between the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia began with the formal establishment of relations on 5 June 1922, after the formation of the First Czechoslovak Republic, which had declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918. The first Soviet representative, , was appointed on 9 December 1922. On 9 June 1934 relations were upgraded to the level of missions, with serving as plenipotentiary from that date. Relations were interrupted on 16 March 1939 with the German occupation of Czechoslovakia.
With the Axis invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, the USSR entered the Second World War on the side of the Allies. Following the reestablishment of relations on 18 July 1941, was duly accredited to the Czechoslovak government-in-exile in London on 24 October 1943 . Relations were maintained after the war, during which period the Third Czechoslovak Republic and then the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic were formed. With the repudiation of communism, the country officially became the Czech and Slovak Federative Republic in 1990. With the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, a new ambassador, , was appointed as representative of the Russian Federation. He continued as ambassador until the dissolution of Czechoslovakia and its separation into the states of the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Lebedev continued to as representative to the Czech Republic until 1996, while a new ambassador, Sergey Yastrzhembsky, was appointed Russian ambassador to Slovakia in June 1993.
List of representatives (1922– 1993) Representatives of the Soviet Union to Czechoslovakia (1922 – 1991) NameTitleAppointmentTerminationNotesDiplomatic representative9 December 192214 February 1923Konstantin YurenevDiplomatic representative14 February 19233 March 1924Diplomatic representative19241924Vladimir Antonov-OvseyenkoDiplomatic representative23 June 192413 December 1928Aleksandr ArosevDiplomatic representative2 March 19294 June 1933Diplomatic representativePlenipotentiary (after 9 June 1934)4 June 193316 March 1939Ambassador24 October 19436 January 1945Valerian ZorinAmbassador22 March 1945 7 March 1948Ambassador7 March 194826 October 1951Anatoly LavrentievAmbassador26 October 19517 July 1952Aleksandr BogomolovAmbassador7 July 195223 January 1954Nikolay FiryubinAmbassador23 January 195423 August 1955Ambassador11 December 1955 20 February 1960Mikhail ZimyaninAmbassador20 February 1960 8 April 1965Stepan ChervonenkoAmbassador8 April 196527 April 1973Vladimir MatskevichAmbassador27 April 1973 6 February 1980Ambassador6 February 198026 April 1984Ambassador26 April 198414 May 1990Boris PankinAmbassador14 May 199029 August 1991
Representatives of the Russian Federation to Czechoslovakia (1991 – 1993) NameTitleAppointmentTerminationNotesAmbassador25 December 19911 January 1993
References