List of ambassadors of Russia to Greece

Diplomatic relations between the forerunners of the modern states of Greece and Russia date back to the early nineteenth century. The Russian Empire supported the Greek independence movement against the Ottoman Empire during the eighteenth century, with Catherine the Great's Greek Project and support for the Orlov revolt during the Russo-Turkish war. Early attempts to establish an independent Greek state ended in failure, until the Russian-backed Greek War of Independence in the 1820s resulted in the establishment of the First Hellenic Republic, through which the Russian Party-supporting Greek leaders enjoyed considerable power. The Russian empire established relations with the First Hellenic Republic on 6 September [18 September N.S.] 1828.^[4] The first mission was based in Nafplio from 1828, before moving to Athens in 1834 with the establishment of the Kingdom of Greece.^[5][6]

Relations between the two countries were maintained during the nineteenth and into the twentieth centuries, and after the February Revolution in 1917 overthrew the Russian monarchy and established the Russian Provisional Government. Relations were however broken off after the October Revolution brought the Bolshevik regime to power. Relations were restored between what was by then the Soviet Union and the Second Hellenic Republic on 8 March 1924, and Aleksey Ustinov [ru] was appointed the first plenipotentiary representative.^[4][7] Relations were maintained until the Axis occupation of Greece in June 1941. The Soviet Union joined the Allied side following the Axis invasion of the Soviet Union later in June, and established relations with the Greek government-in-exile in London as part of the Soviet embassy to the Allied governments [ru].^[8] The Greek government moved to Cairo in 1943, and representation was transferred to the Soviet embassy in Cairo, with the Soviet ambassador to Egypt given dual accreditation to the Greek government. This lasted until the return of the Greek government to Greece after the war, and in 1945 Konstantin Rodionov [ru] was appointed the ambassador to Greece.^[8]

With the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, Greece recognised the Russian Federation as its successor state on 27 December 1991.^[4]

• List of ambassadors of Greece to Russia