| Post: | Ambassador |
| Body: | the Russian Federation to the Republic of Benin |
| Insignia: | MID emblem.png |
| Incumbentsince: | 7 August 2017 |
| Department: | Ministry of Foreign Affairs Embassy of Russia in Cotonou |
| Style: | His Excellency The Honourable |
| Reports To: | Minister of Foreign Affairs |
| Seat: | Cotonou |
| Appointer: | President of Russia |
| Termlength: | At the pleasure of the President |
| Formation: | 1963 |
| Website: | Embassy of Russia in Benin |
| Insigniacaption: | Emblem of the Russian Foreign Ministry |
The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Benin is the official representative of the President and the Government of the Russian Federation to the President and the Government of Benin.[1] [2]
The ambassador and his staff work at large in the Embassy of Russia in Cotonou.[3] The post of Russian Ambassador to Benin is currently held by, incumbent since 7 August 2017.[4] Since 1992 the Russian Ambassador to Benin has been concurrently accredited to Togo.
See main article: Benin–Russia relations. Diplomatic relations at the mission level between the Soviet Union and what was then the Republic of Dahomey were first established in June 1962, and carried out through the Soviet embassy in Togo.[1] [5] The first Soviet ambassador,, the incumbent ambassador to Togo, was dual accreditation on 10 August 1963.[1] [5] The Soviet embassy in Dahomey opened in May 1966, with appointed ambassador solely to Dahomey on 4 May 1966.[1] [5] The Republic of Dahomey was renamed the Republic of Benin in 1975, and with the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Soviet ambassador, Vitaly Zhuravlyov, continued as representative of the Russian Federation until 1992.[1] Zhuravlyov's successor,, was appointed as ambassador to Benin and concurrently to Togo.
| Name | Title | Appointment | Termination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ambassador | 10 August 1963 | 4 May 1966 | Concurrently as ambassador to Togo | |
| Ambassador | 4 May 1966 | 17 August 1968 | First accredited only to, and based in, Dahomey | |
| Ambassador | 17 August 1968 | 11 November 1969 | ||
| Ambassador | 11 November 1969 | 13 April 1975 | ||
| Ambassador | 13 April 1975 | 30 November 1975 | ||
| Name | Title | Appointment | Termination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ambassador | 30 November 1975 | 8 April 1979 | ||
| Ambassador | 8 April 1979 | 29 August 1985 | ||
| Ambassador | 29 August 1985 | 24 July 1990 | ||
| Vitaly Zhuravlyov | Ambassador | 24 July 1990 | 25 December 1991 | |
| Name | Title | Appointment | Termination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vitaly Zhuravlyov | Ambassador | 25 December 1991 | 22 April 1992 | |
| Ambassador | 22 April 1992 | 8 May 1998 | ||
| Ambassador | 8 May 1998 | 17 July 2002 | ||
| Vladimir Timoshenko | Ambassador | 17 July 2002 | 30 June 2008 | |
| Yury Grashchenkov | Ambassador | 30 June 2008 | 31 May 2013 | |
| Ambassador | 31 May 2013 | 7 August 2017 | ||
| Ambassador | 7 August 2017 | |||