Putin appoints Sergey Vershinin as new Russian ambassador to Türkiye

2026-02-20 - 11:12

Russian President Vladimir Putin has appointed Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin as Russia's new ambassador to Türkiye, according to presidential decrees published Friday on the Russian government portal. Vershinin's dismissal from his deputy minister post and concurrent ambassadorial appointment were formalized in separate decrees. Diplomatic Transition The appointment fills a five-month vacancy following former ambassador Alexey Yerkhov's reassignment to Tashkent on Sept. 5. Since then, Russia's diplomatic mission in Ankara has been led by acting Charge d'Affaires Alexey Ivanov. In a related move, Putin appointed Russia's ambassador to Egypt, Georgy Borisenko, as deputy foreign minister. Vershinin's Background Born in 1954, Vershinin graduated from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations in 1976 and from the Foreign Ministry's diplomatic academy in 1991. He has held various positions in Russian diplomatic missions in Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, serving as ambassador to Algeria from 1999 to 2003. Since 2004, he has held various Foreign Ministry positions, serving as deputy foreign minister from 2018 until his current appointment.