The ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of Russia to Cuba is the official representative of the president and the government of the Russian Federation to the president and the government of Cuba.
The ambassador and his staff work at large in the Embassy of Russia in Havana. There is a consulate-general in Santiago de Cuba. The post of Russian ambassador to Cuba is currently held by , incumbent since 10 February 2023.
History of diplomatic relations
Diplomatic relations between Cuba and the Soviet Union were established in October 1944. Relations were initially handled through the Soviet embassy in the United States, with the incumbent ambassador to the United States, Maxim Litvinov, was given dual accreditation to Cuba on 17 October 1942. Litvinov was succeeded as ambassador to the United States, and concurrently as envoy to Cuba, by Andrei Gromyko on 21 September 1943. Following the end of Gromyko's tenure in 1946, representation was by chargé d'affaires at the Soviet mission in Cuba. This came to an end following the 1952 Cuban coup d'état by Fulgencio Batista, whose anti-communist measures involved banning the left-wing Popular Socialist Party. The Soviet government suspended diplomatic relations in protest.
Relations remained broken off until the success of the Cuban Revolution in 1959, which overthrew Batista and brought a left-wing regime to power under Fidel Castro. Diplomatic relations were restored on 8 May 1960, and Sergei Kudryavtsev was appointed the new ambassador on 8 July 1960. Representation continued through the late twentieth century. With the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Cuba recognized the Russian Federation as its successor state. The incumbent Soviet ambassador, , continued as the Russian ambassador until 2000.
List of representatives (1942–present) Soviet Union to Cuba (1942-1991) NameTitleAppointmentTerminationNotesMaxim LitvinovEnvoy17 October 194221 September 1943Concurrently representative to the United StatesCredentials presented on 10 April 1943Andrei GromykoEnvoy21 September 194325 April 1946Concurrently representative to the United StatesCredentials presented on 22 December 1943Chargé d'affaires19461946Chargé d'affaires19483 April 19511952 Cuban coup d'état - Diplomatic relations interrupted (1952-1960)Sergei KudryavtsevAmbassador8 July 196012 June 1962Credentials presented on 22 August 1960Alexander AlexeyevAmbassador12 June 196215 January 1968Credentials presented on 18 August 1962 Ambassador15 January 19684 December 1970Credentials presented on 22 May 1968 Ambassador4 December 19704 April 1979 Credentials presented on 26 January 1971Vitaly VorotnikovAmbassador4 April 1979 31 July 1982 Credentials presented on 21 April 1979Konstantin KatushevAmbassador31 July 1982 22 November 1985Credentials presented on 7 October 1982Aleksandr KaptoAmbassador13 January 198613 July 1988 Yury PetrovAmbassador13 July 1988 20 September 1991Ambassador20 September 199125 December 1991
Russian Federation to Cuba (1991-present) NameTitleAppointmentTerminationNotesAmbassador25 December 19916 May 2000 Ambassador27 June 200014 April 2008Ambassador14 April 200818 June 2018 Credentials presented on 24 April 2008Ambassador18 June 2018 10 February 2023Credentials presented on 21 November 2018Ambassador10 February 2023Credentials presented on 15 April 2023
References