| Ambassador of theRussian Federation to theState of Israel | |
|---|---|
| посол Российской Федерации в Израиле | |
 Emblem of the Russian Foreign Ministry | |
 | |
| Ministry of Foreign Affairs Embassy of Russia in Tel Aviv | |
| Style | His Excellency |
| Reports to | Minister of Foreign Affairs |
| Seat | Tel Aviv |
| Appointer | President of Russia |
| Term length | At the pleasure of the president |
| Website | Russian Embassy in Tel Aviv |
Theambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the State of Israel is the official representative of thepresident and thegovernment of the Russian Federation to theprime minister and thegovernment of Israel.
The ambassador and his staff work at large in theEmbassy of Russia inTel Aviv.[1] There is aconsulate general inHaifa.[2] The post of Russian ambassador to Israel is currently held byAnatoly Viktorov [ru], incumbent since 5 April 2018.[3]
Diplomatic relations between theSoviet Union and Israel were formalised in May 1948, not long after theIsraeli Declaration of Independence. The firstenvoy,Pavel Yershov [ru], was appointed on 26 June 1948, andpresented his credentials on 17 August that year.[4] Diplomatic relations were briefly suspended by the Soviet government with Yershov's recall in February 1953, but were restored in July that year, andAleksandr Abramov [ru] was appointed the new envoy in August.[5] Relations were further strengthened the following year with the conversion of the missions to the level of embassies.[5]
In June 1967 the Soviet Union once more broke off relations, over theSix-Day War.[5] For the next thirty years diplomatic relations were officially broken, until a thaw took place under the leadership ofMikhail Gorbachev. A consular mission was established in August 1987, and on 30 September 1990 this resulted in the opening of consulates, and the appointment of a consul general.[6] On 3 January 1991 diplomatic relations were officially restored, and on 18 October 1991 the consulate general was upgraded to an embassy.Alexander Bovin was appointed as the new ambassador, and presented his credentials on 23 December 1991.[6] With the officialdissolution of the Soviet Union two days later, Bovin remained in post as representative of theRussian Federation, serving until 1997.[6]
| Name | Title | Appointment | Termination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pavel Yershov [ru] | Envoy | 26 June 1948 | 11 February 1953 | |
| Aleksandr Abramov [ru] | Envoy (before 16 June 1954) Ambassador (after 16 June 1954) | 8 August 1953 | 21 January 1958 | |
| Mikhail Bodrov | Ambassador | 21 January 1958 | 15 October 1964 | |
| Dmitry Chuvakhin [ru] | Ambassador | 15 October 1964 | 10 June 1967 | |
| Six Day War - Diplomatic relations interrupted (1967 - 1991) | ||||
| Alexander Bovin | Ambassador | 12 November 1991 | 25 December 1991 | |
| Name | Title | Appointment | Termination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alexander Bovin | Ambassador | 25 December 1991 | 24 March 1997 | |
| Mikhail Bogdanov | Ambassador | 24 March 1997 | 1 February 2002 | |
| Gennady Tarasov [ru] | Ambassador | 1 February 2002 | 31 January 2007 | |
| Pyotr Stegniy [ru] | Ambassador | 31 January 2007 | 8 July 2011 | |
| Sergey Yakovlev [ru] | Ambassador | 8 July 2011 | 10 July 2015 | |
| Aleksandr Shein [ru] | Ambassador | 10 July 2015 | 5 April 2018 | |
| Anatoly Viktorov [ru] | Ambassador | 5 April 2018 |
