Russian ambassador to US finishes tenure, returns to Moscow

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - 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.