The ambassador of Russia to Sweden is the official representative of the president and the government of the Russian Federation to the king and the government of Sweden.
The ambassador and his staff work at large in the Russian embassy in Stockholm. There is a consulate-general in Gothenburg, and a consulate in Malmö. The current Russian ambassador to Sweden is , incumbent since 25 October 2024.
History of diplomatic relations
Diplomatic relations between the forerunners of the modern states of Sweden and Russia date back to the seventeenth century. Much of the early contact was marked with conflict as Russia extended its borders into regions around the Baltic controlled by Sweden. Some early representatives were , sent on a diplomatic mission by Tsar Mikhail Fyodorovich between 1634 and 1636, and Andrey Khilkov, sent by Peter the Great in 1700. The Great Northern War began shortly after his appointment and Khilkov spent the next eighteen years imprisoned in Sweden until his death. Peace between Russia and Sweden was only secured in 1721 with the signing of the Treaty of Nystad. Mikhail Bestuzhev-Ryumin was appointed as envoy that year, representing the newly declared Russian Empire.
Relations were broken off several times during the eighteenth century as Sweden and Russia fought several wars. The first was the Russo-Swedish War which broke out in 1741, and ended with the signing of the Treaty of Åbo in 1743. Further ruptures occurred with the 1788–1790 Russo-Swedish War, ended with the Treaty of Värälä, and the Finnish War between 1808 and 1809, settled with the Treaty of Fredrikshamn. A period of extended peace between the two countries followed, which lasted until the early nineteenth century. Relations were maintained during the First World War, and after the February Revolution in 1917 overthrew the Russian monarchy and established the Russian Provisional Government. Relations were soon established with the new regime after the October Revolution brought the Bolshevik regime to power. Vatslav Vorovsky served as diplomatic representative of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic between 1917 and 1919, and was succeeded by Platon Kerzhentsev between 1921 and 1923. In 1923, with the establishment of the Soviet Union, Valerian Obolensky became the new diplomatic representative, upgraded to plenipotentiary representative in 1924.
Relations were maintained throughout the twentieth century between the two states, including the long tenure of Alexandra Kollontai, who served as representative between 1930 and 1945, at first as plenipotentiary representative until 1943, and thereafter as ambassador after the missions were upgraded to embassies. With the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, Sweden recognised the Russian Federation as its successor state. The incumbent Soviet ambassador, Oleg Grinevsky, served as ambassador of the Russian Federation until 1997, with representatives continuing to be exchanged between the two countries.
List of representatives of Russia to Sweden (1634–present) Tsardom of Russia to Sweden (1634–1700) NameTitleAppointmentTerminationNotesResident16341636Andrey KhilkovResidentJuly 1700September 1700Great Northern War - Diplomatic relations interrupted (1700-1721)
Russian Empire to Sweden (1721–1917) NameTitleAppointmentTerminationNotesMikhail Bestuzhev-RyuminMinister Plenipotentiary until 1724Envoy after 172417211725Vasily DolgorukovAmbassadorSeptember 1725May 1727Envoy Extraordinary1725January 1732Mikhail Bestuzhev-RyuminEnvoy17311741 Russo-Swedish War (1741–1743) - Diplomatic relations interrupted (1741-1743)Envoy3 January 174412 December 1745Envoy25 May 174523 January 1746Johann Albrecht KorffEnvoy23 January 174631 January 1748Nikita PaninEnvoy17481760Ivan OstermanEnvoy17601774Johann Matthias von SimolinEnvoy17741779Envoy3 July 177924 November 1783Arkady MorkovEnvoy15 March 178319 May 1786Andrey RazumovskyEnvoy19 May 17861789 Russo-Swedish War (1788–1790) - Diplomatic relations interrupted (1788–1790)Otto von StackelbergEnvoyApril 1791May 1793AmbassadorJune 1793June 1794Chargé d'affaires17951796Andreas von BudbergEnvoy16 May 17969 February 1803David AlopaeusEnvoy29 June 180327 January 1808 Finnish War - Diplomatic relations interrupted (1808–1809)Jan Pieter van SuchtelenSpecial mission28 October 18091811 Chargé d'affaires2 July 181130 August 1812Envoy15 September 18122 July 1816Jan Pieter van SuchtelenEnvoy18166 January 1836 Alexander de BodiscoChargé d'affaires17 January 183616 March 1837Envoy20 June 183631 May 1839Envoy31 May 183920 May 1842Dmitry GlinkaChargé d'affaires22 May 184114 March 1844 Envoy6 December 18436 January 1852Envoy26 February 185228 February 1872Nikolay GirsEnvoy4 March 18722 December 1875 Envoy6 December 187519 December 1883 Envoy8 February 188412 March 1891Envoy12 March 18911 July 1897Envoy1 July 18971904Envoy190417 June 1909 Envoy19101910Envoy19101912Envoy19121913Envoy1913April 1917
Russian Provisional Government to Sweden (1917) NameTitleAppointmentTerminationNotesEnvoyApril 1917December 1917
Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic to Sweden (1917-1923) NameTitleAppointmentTerminationNotesVatslav VorovskyDiplomatic representativeNovember 19171919Platon KerzhentsevDiplomatic representativeFebruary 192110 March 1923
Soviet Union to Sweden (1923–1991) NameTitleAppointmentTerminationNotesValerian ObolenskyDiplomatic representative before 22 March 1924Plenipotentiary Representative after 17 April 19244 June 19237 October 1924 Credentials presented on 23 May 1924Valerian DovgalevskyPlenipotentiary Representative7 October 19245 February 1927Credentials presented on 28 November 1924Viktor KoppPlenipotentiary Representative5 February 192727 May 1930Credentials presented on 14 March 1927Alexandra KollontaiPlenipotentiary Representative before 9 May 1941Envoy after 9 May 194120 July 193027 July 1945 Credentials presented on 30 October 1930Envoy before 2 October 1947Ambassador after 2 October 194727 July 1945 27 October 1949Credentials presented on 20 September 1945Ambassador 27 October 194912 March 1950 Did not take up postAmbassador 13 March 195022 December 1956Credentials presented on 26 April 1950Fedor GusevAmbassador22 December 195631 July 1962Credentials presented on 2 April 1957 Ambassador31 July 19628 April 1967 Credentials presented on 10 September 1962 Ambassador8 April 1967 16 May 1971Credentials presented on 9 May 1967 Ambassador16 May 19714 September 1982 Credentials presented on 30 June 1971Boris PankinAmbassador4 September 1982 14 May 1990Credentials presented on 30 September 1982Ambassador199022 October 1991Oleg GrinevskyAmbassador22 October 199125 December 1991
Russian Federation to Sweden (1991–present) NameTitleAppointmentTerminationNotesOleg GrinevskyAmbassador25 December 199119 June 1997Ambassador23 October 199731 May 2001Ambassador31 May 20015 August 2005Alexander KadakinAmbassador5 August 20054 September 2009 Ambassador4 September 2009 7 May 2014 Ambassador7 May 2014 25 October 2024Credentials presented on 9 June 2014Ambassador25 October 2024Credentials presented on 5 December 2024
See also List of ambassadors of Sweden to Russia
References