Key Persons

Andrey Rudenko

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation

General Biographical Information

  • Andrey Rudenko was born on September 24, 1962, in Moscow, RSFSR, Soviet Union.
  • In 1985 he graduated from Moscow State University of International Relations.
  • He speaks English and Chinese languages.
  • On September 3, 2018, he was granted diplomatic title of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, 1st Class.
  • On May 29, 2019, Supreme Eurasian Economic Council awarded him medal „For contribution to the development of the Eurasian Economic Union“.

Professional Career

  • Since 1985, after graduation from the university, he works at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia.
  • He held various diplomatic posts in Soviet Union as well as in at the Central Collegium of the Foreign Affairs Ministry of the Russian Federation and abroad.
  • In 2007-2011 he was head of the Ministry General European Cooperation Department.
  • In 2011-2016 he was Deputy Permanent Representative of Russia to the OSCE, Vienna, Austria. Head to the representation was Andrey Kelin (2011-2015), who in 2005-2011 was the director of the Fourth CIS Department and the Curator to Transcaucasia. In 2015-2016 Head of the Representation was Aleksandr Lukashevich. Rudenko frequently delivered speech at the OSCE permanent Council during his work at OSCE. He made several statements on the outcomes of the Geneva International Discussions.
  • In March, 2016, he was appointed on the position of the Director of the Second CIS Department. Rudenko curated relations with Belarus, Ukraine and Moldova. From the same year he is the member of the Ministry Collegium.
  • On September 19, 2019, under the decree of the President of the Russian Federation, he was appointed as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. He curates post-soviet countries, as well as relations with Abkhazia and Tskhinvali Region.
  • In December 2022, Rudenko took the supervision of the Asian direction. Mikhail Galuzin, who was appointed as the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia on November 25, became responsible for the relations with the CIS states, as well as with Georgia and the occupied regions of Georgia.

Relations with Abkhazia and Tskhinvali Region

  • On September 24, 2019, in Moscow, within the frames of the Geneva Discussions, Rudenko discussed the existing situation on de facto administrative border of Tskhinvali Region with the representatives of European Union, UN and OSCE. The purpose of the meeting was preparation for the Geneva International Discussions next round, planned on October 8.
  • On September 25, 2019, after Grigory Karasin resignation (September 10, 2019), Rudenko stated that maintaining Abashidze-Karasin format of communication is being reviewed and Moscow hopes that this channel of dialogue with Tbilisi will be retained.
  • On September 30, 2019, in Moscow, Rudenko met with Daur Kove, de facto Foreign Affairs Minister of Abkhazia. The meeting main topic was preparation for the Geneva International Discussions next round on stability and security in Transcaucasia. At the meeting was also discussed topical issues of Abkhazia-Russia relations and main directions of foreign policy interaction.
  • On October 4, 2019, in Moscow, Rudenko met with Murat Jioev, the Plenipotentiary Representative of Tskhinvali Region de facto President on the issues of post-conflict settlement. The main topic was preparation for the Geneva International Discussions next round on stability and security in Transcaucasia.
  • On October 8, 2019, Rudenko stated that Russia wants to restore relations with Georgia and return to the level that was before June events (June 20, 2019 events in Tbilisi). As Rudenko said Russian and Georgian Foreign Ministers met and had specific conversation in New York on September 26 and that Russian side hopes on situation normalization.
  • The 49th round of the Geneva International Discussions was held on October 8-9, 2019. Rudenko participated for the first time. Earlier, at Geneva meetings Russia was represented by Grigory Karasin.
  • On November 1, 2019, Rudenko met with Igor Akhba, de facto „ambassador“ of Abkhazia to Russia. Issues related to Russian-Abkhazian relations and foreign policy actions aimed at strengthening international positions of Abkhazia were discussed at the meeting. On the same day, Rudenko met with Toivo Klaar, Co-chair of the Geneva International Discussions and EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus. Ongoing developments at the administrative border in Tskhinvali Region and issues related to the Geneva Discussions were discussed at the meeting.
  • On December 5, 2019, in Moscow, Rudenko met with Daur Kove, de facto Minister of Foreign Affairs of Abkhazia. The meeting main topic was preparation for the Geneva International Discussions next round on stability and security in Transcaucasia. On the same day Rudenko met with Nino Burjanadze, leader of the political party „Democratic Movement – United Georgia“.
  • On December 10-11, 2019, the Geneva International Discussions regular 50th round on stability and security in Transcaucasia was held in Geneva. Rudenko was the head of the Russian Delegation.
  • On December 19, 2019, Rudenko met with Mussa Ekzekov, Chairman of the Supreme Council of the World Abkhaz-Abaza Congress. The sides discussed the issue of continued cooperation between the Ministry and the Congress.
  • On February 6, 2020, Rudenko met with the co-chairs of the Geneva International Discussions on Stability and Security in Transcaucasia. Meeting participants exchanged views on regional security issues. Special attention was paid to the situation on the occupation line, at de facto border with the Tskhinvali Region. The sides discussed possible steps to de-escalate the tensions.
  • On March 2, 2020, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Rudenko met with the Tskhinvali Region de facto ambassador to Russia Znaur Gasiyev. The meeting was held at the Ministry. Key topics of bilateral relations, including issues of the Geneva discussions and regional security were discussed at the meeting.
  • On March 3, 2021, meeting between the de facto Foreign Minister of Abkhazia, Daur Kove, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia, Sergey Lavrov, was held in Moscow. A consultation plan for 2021-2022 was signed during the meeting.  Rudenko and Denis Gonchar, Director of the 4th CIS Department, attended meeting.
  • On March 9, 2021, Rudenko hosted the Co-Chairs of the Geneva International Discussions on Security and Stability in the Transcaucasia. A substantive discussion of topical issues of regional security in the South Caucasus took place.
  • The 52nd round of the Geneva International Discussions on Security and Stability in the Transcaucasia was held on March 25-26, 2021. Rudenko also participated in the meeting. He said that the 52nd round did not lead to a “big breakthrough,” however, the dialogue should be continued.
  • On June 16, 2021, Rudenko met with the Co-Chairs of the Geneva International Discussions. The parties discussed the details of the next round scheduled for the end of June.
  • On June 26, 2021, Rudenko met with heads of delegations of the Tskhinvali region and Abkhazia - Murat Jioev (representative of the President of the Tskhinvali region on post-conflict issues) and Irakli Tuzhba (Deputy Foreign Minister of Abkhazia). The meeting preceded the 53rd round of the Geneva International Discussions and was of a consultative nature.
  • The 53rd round of the Geneva International Discussions on Security and Stability in the Transcaucasus  was held on June 29-30, 2021. Rudenko attended the meeting as the Head of the delegation of the Russian Federation. During the meeting, the Russian suggested an initiative to sign a legally binding agreement on non-use of force against each other between Tbilisi, Sokhumi, and Tskhinvali.
  • On October 8, 2021, Rudenko met with heads of delegations of the Tskhinvali region and Abkhazia - Murat Jioev (representative of the President of the Tskhinvali region on post-conflict issues) and Irakli Tuzhba (Deputy Foreign Minister of Abkhazia). The meeting preceded the 54th round of the Geneva International Discussions and was of a consultative nature.
  • On December 3, 2021, Rudenko met with Irakli Tuzhba, the Head of the Abkhaz delegation to the Geneva International Talks and the Deputy of the de facto Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Abkhazia. The meeting agreed the agenda and positions of the 55th round of the Geneva International Talks. Particular attention was paid to the issue of signing a non-use of force agreement, as well as to the security in the region. The participants of the meeting also exchanged views on current issues of bilateral cooperation.
  • On May 9, 2022, Rudenko stated that “after the victory of Alan Gagloyev in the presidential elections, Russia hopes that heredity will be preserved in relations with South Ossetia.”
  • On May 19, 2022, the Russian State Duma ratified the dual citizenship agreement with the so-called Republic of South Ossetia. According to Rudenko, residents of the Tskhinvali region will be able to obtain Russian citizenship in a simplified manner, so that they will not have to renounce their “citizenship.” Rudenko said that the ratification shows “the unchanging line of our support to South Ossetia, which is our closest neighbour.”
  • On June 15, 2022, a delegation of the de facto republic of the Tskhinvali region, led by the de facto President, Alan Gagloyev, met with the Russian side in Moscow. The main topic of discussion was the issue of holding a referendum in the Tskhinvali region on the unification of the de facto republic and Russia. The Russian delegation included the Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration, Dmitry Kozak, the Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council, Konstantin Kosachev, the Head of the Directorate for Interregional Relations and Cultural Contacts with Foreign Countries of the Presidential Administration, Igor Maslov, the Deputy Secretary of the Security Council, Rashid Nurgaliyev, the de facto Ambassador of Russia to the Republic, Marat Kulakhmetov, the Deputy Head of the Directorate for Cross-Border Cooperation of the President's Administration, Sergey Bovenko and Rudenko.