The ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Kingdom of Belgium is the official representative of the president and the government of the Russian Federation to the king and the government of Belgium.
The ambassador and his staff work at large in the Embassy of Russia in Brussels. There is a consulate general in Antwerp. As of September 2025, Denis Gonchar is the Russian ambassador to Belgium. He presented his credentials to King Philippe on 17 September 2025.
History of diplomatic relations
Diplomatic relations between the Russian Empire and Belgium were first established in 1853, with the first envoy to Belgium, , appointed on 11 April 1853. The last imperial envoy, , continued to represent Russia as an agent of the Russian Provisional Government after the February Revolution in 1917, but ceased to be recognised by the new Soviet government after the October Revolution later that year. Diplomatic relations were established between the Soviet Union and Belgium in 1935, and a new representative, was appointed on 2 November that year. His tenure came to an end with the German invasion and subsequent occupation of Belgium in 1940. Relations were restored once more in 1941 after the Soviet Union entered the war on the side of the allies, with appointed envoy to the Belgian government in exile in London. By early 1943 the mission had been upgraded to an embassy. Relations continued after the war, and with the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the incumbent Soviet ambassador, , continued as the representative of the Russian Federation until 1994.
List of representatives (1853–present) Russian Empire to Belgium (1853–1917) NameTitleAppointmentTerminationNotesEnvoy11 April 1853 17 July 1856Envoy17 July 1856 16 April 1859Nikolay OrlovEnvoy3 July 185913 December 1869 Envoy13 December 1869 30 March 1886Envoy3 June 1886 19 November 1897Envoy4 December 189720 September 1910Envoy20 September 191017 February 1916Envoy10 March 1916 3 March 1917
Russian Provisional Government to Belgium (1917) NameTitleAppointmentTerminationNotesEnvoy3 March 191726 November 1917
Soviet Union to Belgium (1935–1991) NameTitleAppointmentTerminationNotesEnvoy2 November 193515 July 1940Aleksandr BogomolovEnvoy18 October 1942 30 November 1943Envoy to the Belgian government in exile in LondonAmbassador in 1943Ambassador30 November 1943 6 January 1945Ambassador20 March 1945 12 July 1946Ambassador18 August 1946 25 April 1950Viktor AvilovAmbassador24 January 1953 9 October 1958Ambassador9 October 195831 August 1962Ambassador29 September 1962 25 March 1967Ambassador31 March 196728 January 1969Ambassador28 June 1969 8 July 1971Vladimir SobolevAmbassador8 July 197130 April 1975Ambassador30 April 1975 30 October 1984Sergey NikitinAmbassador30 November 1984 25 May 1987Ambassador25 May 1987 8 June 1990Nikolay AfanasevskyAmbassador24 June 1990 25 December 1991
Russian Federation to Belgium (1991–present) NameTitleAppointmentTerminationNotesNikolay AfanasevskyAmbassador25 December 19913 October 1994Vitaly ChurkinAmbassador3 October 199425 February 1998Sergey KislyakAmbassador25 February 1998 28 May 2003Ambassador30 September 2004 27 October 2009Ambassador18 December 2009 16 June 2016 Ambassador16 June 2016 29 July 2025Denis GoncharAmbassador29 July 2025
References
External links Embassy of Russia to Belgium Embassy of Belgium to Russia