| Post: | Ambassador |
| Body: | the Russian Federation to the Commonwealth of Australia |
| Insignia: | MID emblem.png |
| Incumbentsince: | 3 April 2019 |
| Department: | Ministry of Foreign Affairs Embassy of Russia in Canberra |
| Style: | His Excellency The Honourable |
| Reports To: | Minister of Foreign Affairs |
| Seat: | Canberra |
| Appointer: | President of Russia |
| Termlength: | At the pleasure of the President |
| Website: | Embassy of Russia in Australia |
| Insigniacaption: | Emblem of the Russian Foreign Ministry |
The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Commonwealth of Australia is the official representative of the President and the Government of the Russian Federation to the Prime Minister and the Government of Australia.
The ambassador and his staff work at large in the Embassy of Russia in Canberra.[1] There is a consulate-general in Sydney.[2] The ambassador of Russia to Australia is concurrently accredited to Fiji, Nauru, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
The post of Russian Ambassador to Australia is currently held by, incumbent since 3 April 2019.[3]
See main article: Australia–Russia relations. Contact between Australia and the Russian Empire began in the 1800s with the visit of the Neva to Sydney, then part of the British-administered Colony of New South Wales. Consular relations began in 1857. Diplomatic relations between the Soviet Union and the Commonwealth of Australia were formally established on 10 October 1942.[4] The first envoy,, was appointed on 13 October 1942.[4] Representation was upgraded to the exchange of ambassadors after 1948.[4] On 4 April 1954 the ambassador,, was recalled to Moscow in the wake of the Petrov Affair. Diplomatic representation was thereafter suspended until 3 March 1959, when an agreement was made to exchange ambassadors. Ivan Kurdyukov was appointed on 23 June 1959, and presented his credentials on 10 August 1959.[4] With the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Soviet ambassador, Vyacheslav Dolgov, continued as representative of the Russian Federation until 1993.[4]
| Name | Title | Appointment | Termination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Envoy | 13 October 1942 | 7 December 1944 | ||
| Envoy | 7 December 1944 | 16 July 1953 | Ambassador after 1948 | |
| Ambassador | 16 July 1953 | 23 April 1954 | ||
| Ivan Kurdyukov | Ambassador | 23 June 1959 | 6 February 1963 | |
| Ambassador | 6 February 1963 | 20 October 1966 | ||
| Ambassador | 20 October 1966 | 24 June 1970 | ||
| Ambassador | 24 June 1970 | 14 July 1972 | ||
| Ambassador | 14 July 1972 | 14 January 1975 | ||
| Ambassador | 14 January 1975 | 20 October 1979 | ||
| Nikolai Sudarikov | Ambassador | 20 October 1979 | 24 April 1983 | |
| Yevgeny Samoteykin | Ambassador | 24 April 1983 | 28 August 1990 | |
| Vyacheslav Dolgov | Ambassador | 28 August 1990 | 25 December 1991 | |
| Name | Title | Appointment | Termination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vyacheslav Dolgov | Ambassador | 25 December 1991 | 11 November 1993 | |
| Alexander Losyukov | Ambassador | 11 November 1993 | 6 September 1997 | |
| Rashit Khamidulin | Ambassador | 31 August 1998 | 20 July 2001 | |
| Leonid Moiseyev | Ambassador | 20 July 2001 | 10 November 2005 | |
| Alexander Blokhin | Ambassador | 10 November 2005 | 29 June 2010 | |
| Ambassador | 29 June 2010 | 28 July 2016 | ||
| Ambassador | 28 July 2016 | 3 April 2019 | ||
| Ambassador | 3 April 2019 | |||