Vitaly Ivanovich Churkin{{family name footnote|Ivanovich|Churkin|lang=Eastern Slavic}} ({{lang-rus|Виталий Иванович Чуркин|p=vʲɪˈtalʲɪj ɪˈvanəvʲɪtɕ ˈtɕurkʲɪn}}; 21 February 1952 – 20 February 2017) was a Russian diplomat.{{cite web|title=Ambassador Vitaly Churkin UN Russian Federation Biography|url=http://russiaun.ru/en/permanent_mission/postojannyj_predstavitel|publisher=UN Russian Federation|access-date=27 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170221022705/http://russiaun.ru/en/permanent_mission/postojannyj_predstavitel|archive-date=21 February 2017}} As a child actor, he starred in three films The Blue Notebook, Nol tri, and A Mother's Heart.{{cite news|last=Roldugin|first= Oleg|date=14 April 2014|title=Наш актер в ООН. Тайны биографии постпреда России Виталия Чуркина|url=http://sobesednik.ru/politika/20140410-nash-akter-v-oon-tayny-biografii-postpreda-rossii-vitaliya|newspaper=Sobesednik|language=ru}} Churkin served as Russia's Permanent Representative to the United Nations from 2006 until his death in 2017.

Previously he was Ambassador-at-Large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation (2003–2006), Ambassador to Canada (1998–2003), Ambassador to Belgium and Liaison Ambassador to NATO and WEU (1994–1998), Deputy Foreign Minister and Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation to the talks on Former Yugoslavia (1992–1994), Director of the Information Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the USSR/Russian Federation (1990–1992). Churkin was fluent in English, French and Mongolian.

Early life and career

File:Churkin Lenin.jpg as Vladimir Lenin in the 1963 Soviet film The Blue Notebook.]]

Churkin was born in Moscow. In 1963, at age 11, he played Kolya Yemelyanov in the Lev Kulidzhanov film The Blue Notebook, about Vladimir Lenin. In 1964, he acted in a movie, Nol tri, about paramedics. In 1967, he played a peasant boy, Fedka, in Mark Donskoy's movie, A Mother's Heart, about Vladimir Lenin, and then he stopped his artistic career to concentrate on English language studies.

He graduated from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations in 1974, and began working for them then, and he received a PhD in History from the USSR Diplomatic Academy in 1981. Subsequently, he was Director of the Information Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Soviet Union and the Russian Federation. He also served as a spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, and he was Deputy Foreign Minister from 1992 to 1994.[http://www.rbc.ru/photoreport/20/02/2017/58ab23a29a7947a14b78fe0b/3.shtml Умер Виталий Чуркин] (in Russian)

Vitaly Churkin with support from Yuri Dubinin are known to have organized future US President Donald Trump's first visit to the Soviet Union in July 1987.{{cite web|url=https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/11/19/trump-first-moscow-trip-215842|title=The Hidden History of Trump's First Trip to Moscow|date=19 November 2017|access-date=1 November 2024|publisher=Politico|archive-url=https://archive.today/20241101182608/https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/11/19/trump-first-moscow-trip-215842/|archive-date=1 November 2024}}{{efn|In January 1986, Dubinin sent Donald Trump a message in which Dubinin stated that "the leading Soviet agency for international tourism, Goskomturist, is interested in creating a joint project for the construction and management of a large hotel in Moscow." Goskomturist ({{langx|ru|Госкомтурист}}) or Intourist was run by the KGB.{{cite news |url=https://www.newsru.com/realty/03Dec2018/trump_tower.html |title=СМИ припомнили все попытки Трампа построить небоскреб в Москве|trans-title=Media recalls all of Trump's attempts to build a skyscraper in Moscow |language=ru |work= |date=3 December 2018 |access-date=1 November 2024 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241101191559/https://www.newsru.com/realty/03Dec2018/trump_tower.html |archive-date=1 November 2024}}{{cite news |last=Абаринов (Abarinov)|first=Владимир (Vladimir) |url=https://www.svoboda.org/a/29634427.html |title=Казино "Трамп-Кремль". Почему Трамп так и не построил небоскреб в Москве |trans-title=Casino "Trump-Kremlin". Why Trump never built a skyscraper in Moscow |language=ru |work=Радио Свобода (www.svoboda.org) |date=3 December 2018 |access-date=1 November 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240927101536/https://www.svoboda.org/a/29634427.html |archive-date=27 September 2024}}{{cite news |last=Plaskin |first=Glenn |url=http://www.playboy.com/articles/playboy-interview-donald-trump-1990 |title=Playboy Interview: Donald Trump (1990) |magazine=Playboy |date=14 March 2016 |access-date=1 November 2024 |archive-date=22 May 2016 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20160522044717/https://www.playboy.com/articles/playboy-interview-donald-trump-1990}}{{cite news |last=Harding |first=Luke |author-link=Luke Harding |url=https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/11/19/trump-first-moscow-trip-215842/ |title=The Hidden History of Trump's First Trip to Moscow: In 1987, a young real estate developer traveled to the Soviet Union. The KGB almost certainly made the trip happen. |work=Politico |date=19 November 2017 |access-date=1 November 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240229010817/https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/11/19/trump-first-moscow-trip-215842/ |archive-date=29 February 2024}}}}{{efn|After Donald Trump traveled to Russia and visited Moscow and St. Petersburg in 1987, he began organizing sporting events through representatives with Vladimir Putin and Sergey Chemezov's Sovintersport which was a portmanteau for Soviet, International, Export, and Sport and held a monopoly on Soviet sports athletes competing in the West. One event included the former Tour de Jersey which became the Tour de Trump and included Soviet bicyclists with their KGB agent Sergey Chemizov.{{cite news |last=Raschke |first=Erik |url=https://www.velonews.com/events/the-outer-line-tour-de-trump-with-a-russian-accent/ |title=The Outer Line: Tour de Trump with a Russian accent: Erik Raschke examines the connection between Russia and the Tour de Trump. |work=VeloNews |date=1 July 2018 |access-date=1 November 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809211520/https://www.velonews.com/events/the-outer-line-tour-de-trump-with-a-russian-accent/ |archive-date=9 August 2020}}{{cite news |last=Chait |first=Jonathan |url=https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2018/07/trump-putin-russia-collusion.html |title=Will Trump Be Meeting With His Counterpart — Or His Handler? A plausible theory of mind-boggling collusion. |work=New York (nymag.com) |date=July 2018 |access-date=1 November 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807144300/https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2018/07/trump-putin-russia-collusion.html |archive-date=7 August 2020}}}}

Churkin was Russia's Ambassador to Belgium from 1994 to 1998, and the Ambassador to Canada from 1998 to 2003. Subsequently, he served as Ambassador-at-Large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 2003 to 2006. He replaced Andrey Denisov as the Permanent Representative to the United Nations on 1 May 2006, when he presented his credentials to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan. He was the Chairman of the Senior Officials of the Arctic Council.{{Cite web|url=https://oaarchive.arctic-council.org/bitstream/handle/11374/366/ACSAO-RU02_Khanty-Mansiysk_minutes%20%281%29.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y|title=Arctic Council Meeting of Senior Arctic Officials Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia October 12-14, 2005 MINUTES}}

Chernobyl testimony

Churkin won some notoriety in 1986 when, as a 34-year-old second secretary, he was selected by Soviet Ambassador Anatoly Dobrynin to testify before the United States Congress on the Soviet man-made Chernobyl disaster.{{cite magazine|magazine=Time|title=Deadly Meltdown|url=http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,961336,00.html|date=12 May 1986|first=John|last=Greenwald|archive-date=26 June 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140626040350/http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,961336,00.html}} This was reported as the first time in history a Soviet official had testified before a Congressional committee of the U.S. House of Representatives.{{cite news|first= Michael|last=Weisskopf|date=2 May 1986|title=Soviet Testifies on Capitol Hill, Thrust-and-Parry Reveals Few New Details of Accident|newspaper=The Washington Post}} The choice of Churkin, then a relatively junior diplomat, was due to his reputation as the most fluent English-speaker in the Soviet embassy; media reported he possessed "an array of English slang". Churkin's performance was filled with denials, deflections and whataboutist rhetoric, which led to his being parodied in Mark Alan Stamaty's Washingtoon, a political cartoon series in The Washington Post, as Vitaly "Charmyourpantsoff".{{Cite web|date=2014-04-22|title=Soviet Diplomat Testifies on the Hill|url=https://ghostsofdc.org/2014/04/22/soviet-diplomat-testifies-hill/|access-date=2022-02-20|website=Ghosts of DC|language=en-us}}

Actions as a United Nations representative

File:2012-02-22 Дмитрий Медведев, Виталий Чуркин.jpeg IV class. 20 February 2012]]

File:Vladimir Putin and Barack Obama (2015-09-29) 04.jpg meets with Vladimir Putin, Vitaly Churkin and other Russian representatives to discuss Syria and ISIL, 29 September 2015]]

=Georgia=

In 2008, during the Russo-Georgian War, Churkin proposed a draft resolution imposing a weapons embargo on Georgia. The draft was criticized by the United States who saw it as "a ploy to divert attention from the fact Moscow had yet to pull out of Georgian territory outside two breakaway regions". The draft was officially introduced on 9 September 2009, and no actions were taken on it.{{cite book|author1=United Nations|author-link=United Nations|title=Report of the Security Council (1 August 2008 – 31 July 2009), Issue 2|date=2009|isbn=978-92-1-820140-9|page=39|publisher=United Nations Publications |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pIFvijvEwuoC&q=2008+IN+Georgia+arms+embargo&pg=PA39}}

=Crimea=

On 13 March 2014, Churkin was questioned by Arseniy Yatsenyuk on whether Crimea had a right to hold a referendum which would determine Crimea's status as a part of either Russia or Ukraine.{{cite news|work=BBC News Online|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-26564851|title=Ukraine crisis: Russia tells UN it does not want war|date=13 March 2014|access-date=5 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140409135705/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-26564851|archive-date=9 April 2014|url-status=live}}

On 20 March 2014, amid the impending annexation of Crimea by Russia, he responded to the CNN anchor Christiane Amanpour's criticism of him and his daughter, a state-funded Russia Today journalist Anastasia Churkina.{{cite news|url=http://www.mk.ru/politics/article/2014/03/22/1002271-doch-postpreda-v-oon-vitaliya-churkina-okazalas-v-tsentre-mezhdunarodnogo-skandala.html|title=Дочь постпреда в ООН Виталия Чуркина оказалась в центре международного скандала|agency=Moskovsky Komsomolets|language=ru|archive-date=22 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140322135222/http://www.mk.ru/politics/article/2014/03/22/1002271-doch-postpreda-v-oon-vitaliya-churkina-okazalas-v-tsentre-mezhdunarodnogo-skandala.html|url-status=live}}

=Iran=

On 25 June 2014, Churkin commented on the first round of talks regarding the Iranian nuclear program, saying that the talks between the P5+1 states and Iran were successful. The talks were held by him and six other diplomats in Vienna from 16 to 20 June and he said that the second round would begin on 2 July and end thirteen days later.{{cn|date=May 2023}}

=Iraq=

On 12 June 2014, Churkin briefed on the crisis in Baghdad, Iraq, saying that there was no threat to his colleague Nickolay Mladenov, who is the head of the UN's political mission in that country. He also noted that the violence there erupts further north.{{cite news|url=https://www.voanews.com/a/reu-un-official-sees-no-immediate-threat-to-baghdad/1935890.html|title=UN Official Sees No Immediate Threat to Baghdad|work=Voice of America|date=12 June 2014|access-date=26 June 2014|archive-date=26 June 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140626044607/http://www.voanews.com/content/reu-un-official-sees-no-immediate-threat-to-baghdad/1935890.html|url-status=live}}

=Srebrenica massacre=

During the Yugoslav Wars—in the Srebrenica massacre—about 7,500 people were killed by Bosnian Serb troops in a span of eleven days.Brunborg, H., Lyngstad, T.H. & Urdal, H. European Journal of Population (2003) 19: 229. doi:10.1023/A:1024949307841 It was later found to be an act of genocide by the International Court of Justice.{{cite journal| title=The Nicaragua and Tadić Tests Revisited in Light of the ICJ Judgment on Genocide in Bosnia|author=Antonio Cassese|doi=10.1093/ejil/chm034|journal=European Journal of International Law|year=2007|volume=18|issue=4|pages=649–668|url=http://ejil.oxfordjournals.org/content/18/4/649.abstract|doi-access=free|url-access=subscription}} The UK sponsored a resolution, the purpose of which was to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the massacres in Srebrenica and that would have emphasized acceptance of those tragic events as genocide as a prerequisite for national reconciliation in Bosnia and Herzegovina.{{Cite web |title=At Meeting Commemorating Twentieth Anniversary of Srebrenica Killings, Security Council Fails to Adopt Resolution {{!}} UN Press |url=https://press.un.org/en/2015/sc11961.doc.htm |access-date=2023-11-16 |website=press.un.org}} The Russian Federation, after Serbian President Tomislav Nikolić sent a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin,"[http://www.dw.com/en/serbias-pm-vucic-to-attend-srebrenica-massacre-commemoration/a-18569659 Serbia's PM Vucic to attend Srebrenica massacre commemoration]". Deutsche Welle. 8 July 2015. was the only country on the security council that was against the resolution (China and three other countries abstained): Churkin issued a veto on his country's behalf at the UN Security Council on 8 July 2015.{{cite web|title=UN officials recall 'horror' of Srebrenica as Security Council fails to adopt measure condemning massacre|work=UN News Centre|date=8 July 2015| url=https://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=51359#.VaD81F-vHIU}}

Career timeline

1974 – Graduated from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations
1974 – Joined the USSR Foreign Ministry
1974–1979 – Staff member of the USSR delegation to the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks
1979–1982 – Third secretary, US desk, USSR Foreign Ministry
1981 – PhD in history from the USSR Diplomatic Academy
1982–1987 – Second, first secretary, USSR Embassy in Washington DC
1985 – Undertook a speaking tour of United States universities invited by USGov
1987–1989 – Staff member, International Department, CPSU Central Committee
1989–1990 – Special adviser to the USSR Minister of Foreign Affairs
1990–1991 – Director, Information Department, Spokesman of the USSR Foreign Ministry
1992–1994 – Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation, Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation to the talks on Former Yugoslavia
1994–1998 – Ambassador of Russia to Belgium, Liaison Ambassador to NATO and WEU
1998–2003 – Ambassador of Russia to Canada
2003 – April 2006 – Ambassador-at-Large, MFA, Chairman of Senior Arctic Officials, Arctic Council, Senior Official of Russia at the Barents/Euro-Arctic Council
8 April 2006 – Permanent Representative of Russia to the United Nations, Representative of the Russian Federation at the UN Security Council Diplomatic rank — Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary (1990)

Death

Churkin died in New York City on 20 February 2017, the eve of his 65th birthday.{{cite web|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2017/02/20/europe/russia-un-ambassador-vitaly-churkin-dead/|title=Vitaly Churkin, Russia's ambassador to UN, dies suddenly at 64|work=CNN|author=Emma Burrows |author2=Milena Veselinovic |date= 20 February 2017|access-date=20 February 2017}} The immediate cause was heart failure, according to Russian diplomat Sergei Ordzhonikidze.{{cite web | url =https://ria.ru/world/20170220/1488451933.html|title=Скончался постпред России в ООН Виталий Чуркин, мир соболезнует|work=RIA Novosti|date=20 February 2017|language=ru| access-date =20 February 2017}} The Russian Foreign Ministry noted that Churkin died while at work and expressed condolences to Churkin's family.{{cn|date=August 2021}} India's Permanent Representative to the UN, Syed Akbaruddin, also expressed his condolences, calling Churkin a "friend" and a "stalwart diplomat".{{cite news|title=India lost a friend with the demise of Russian envoy to UN|url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/india-lost-a-friend-with-the-demise-of-russian-envoy-to-un/articleshow/57268779.cms|work=The Economic Times|access-date=21 February 2017}} Former President Barack Obama's UN Ambassador, Samantha Power, tweeted that she was "devastated" and described Churkin as a "diplomatic maestro" who did all he could to bridge U.S.-Russia differences. Britain's ambassador to the UN, Matthew Rycroft, tweeted that he was "absolutely devastated", describing Churkin as "a diplomatic giant & wonderful character"."[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/russian-ambassador-un-vitaly-churkin-dead-diplomat-dies-suddenly-new-york-puton-a7590366.html Russian ambassador to UN Vitaly Churkin dead: Diplomat dies suddenly in New York]". The Independent. 20 February 2017. Pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, with whom Churkin had met several times from 2015 until 2017, sent an email to tech billionaire Peter Thiel stating, "As you read my Russian ambassador friend died. Life is short, start with dessert."{{Cite web |last=Benoit |first=Khadeeja Safdar and David |date=2023-08-30 |title=How Jeffrey Epstein Tried to Tap Into Trump's Circle |url=https://www.wsj.com/politics/jeffrey-epstein-trump-associates-ab19d1f0 |access-date=2023-11-16 |website=WSJ |language=en-US |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240706134149/https://www.wsj.com/politics/jeffrey-epstein-trump-associates-ab19d1f0 |archive-date=6 July 2024}}

On 21 February 2017, the New York City Medical Examiner's Office released the preliminary results of an autopsy performed on Churkin, which states that the cause of death needed further study, which often indicates the need for toxicology tests.{{cite web|url=http://www.1011now.com/content/news/Russian-UN-diplomats-death-needs-further-study-414378683.html|title=Russian UN diplomat's death needs further study|date=21 February 2017 |agency=Associated Press}} A gag order pursuant to a request of the U.S. State Department and the United States Mission to the United Nations suppressed public disclosure of the cause and manner of death, citing Churkin's posthumous diplomatic immunity; Russia maintained that the information was private and that disclosing details of the autopsy results could hurt his reputation.[https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-39237748 Vitaly Churkin: US will not release cause of Russian's death] BBC, 10 March 2017.{{cite news |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-officials-won-release-russian-ambassador-autopsy-results-article-1.2994404| location=New York | work=The Daily News | first=Thomas | last=Tracy | title=NYC Medical Examiner won't release Russian UN ambassador Vitaly Churkin's autopsy results | date=10 March 2017}} Churkin was posthumously awarded the Russian Order of Courage on 21 February 2017{{cite web|title=Путин посмертно наградил Чуркина орденом Мужества|url=https://ria.ru/politics/20170221/1488506889.html|work=РИА Новости|date=21 February 2017|access-date=21 February 2017|language=ru}} and the Order of the Serbian Flag 1st class.{{cite web|title=Президент Сербии посмертно наградил Чуркина орденом Сербского флага|url=https://regnum.ru/news/polit/2241771.html|work=ИА REGNUM|access-date=21 February 2017|language=ru}}

Churkin was the fifth Russian diplomat posted abroad to die unexpectedly, in a remarkably similar fashion, since November 2016, the first such death having occurred on the morning of the U.S. presidential election, 8 November 2016, inside the Russian consulate in NYC, – a fact that caused conspiracy theorists to try to detect a pattern.[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/russia-diplomats-deaths-theories-putin-kremlin-a7602201.html Unexpected deaths of six Russian diplomats in four months triggers conspiracy theories] The Independent, 27 February 2017.[https://edition.cnn.com/2017/03/24/europe/dead-russians/index.html Nine months, nine prominent Russians dead] CNN, 24 August 2017.[http://realrussiatoday.com/2016/12/28/russian-diplomat-found-dead-in-kazakhstan/ Russian diplomat found dead in Kazakhstan] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170825231744/http://realrussiatoday.com/2016/12/28/russian-diplomat-found-dead-in-kazakhstan/ |date=25 August 2017 }} Real Russia Today, 28 December 2016. The apparent pattern was followed by a sudden death of Russian ambassador to Sudan Migayas Shirinskiy in the capital Khartoum in August 2017.[https://edition.cnn.com/2017/08/23/world/russian-ambassador-to-sudan-dies-in-khartoum/index.html Ambassador to Sudan is fourth Russian diplomat to die since January] CNN, 24 August 2017. Hours after Shirinskiy's death, Russia's government-owned news agency TASS published a list of names and brief biographies of senior Russian diplomats (naming five), who had died "of natural causes" "in the past two years" (in fact, since 30 May 2016, the day when Russian Chargés d'affaires ad interim to Ukraine Andrei Vorobyov, aged 57, died suddenly in Moscow), that included Churkin.[http://tass.ru/info/4503156 Случаи смертей дипломатов РФ с 2016 года. Досье] TASS, 24 August 2017. His death was likewise cited in a list published in early May 2017 by USA Today — as one in a series of "dozens of high-profile" Russians' deaths, such as GRU chief Igor Sergun's (January 2016), in "the past three years in Russia and abroad in suspicious circumstances"."Suspicious Russian deaths: Sacrificial pawns or coincidence?", USA Today, 2 May 2017.

Notes

References

External links

{{IMDb name|0161506}}
[https://web.archive.org/web/20041021035857/http://www.un.int/russia/ambassad/ambassad.htm Russian mission to the UN]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20090711113114/http://www.un.int/russia/new/MainRoot/churkin.html Vitaly Churkin]
{{C-SPAN|13953}}
{{Charlie Rose view|6099}}
[https://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2006/bio3763.doc.htm New Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation Presents Credentials] – UN press release
[http://www.arctic-council.org/ Arctic Council home page]