RUSSIA'S AMBASSADOR TO UN DIES

RUSSIA'S AMBASSADOR TO UN DIES.

Vitaly Churkin, Russia's ambassador to UN dies suddenly at 64 one day before his 65th birthday. Churkin died after suffering from cardiac arrest, he was administered to New York-Presbyterian Hospital, where he died. Churkin was at the Russian Mission on East 67th Street.

He was known as a profoundly intelligent, combative, disarming and humorous fixture at the UN Security Council.

Former U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Samantha Power, who frequently clashed with Churkin, most recently over the Russian bombing of Aleppo, nonetheless called him "a diplomatic maestro and deeply caring man". Former secretary-general Ban Ki-moon said of Churkin, "He was an outstanding diplomat and an intellectual star. His diplomatic skills, quick wit and ready sense of humor will long be remembered."

Churkin first came to the attention of the American public following the Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster in 1986. In an extraordinary moment, Churkin, then a junior diplomat testified before the U.S. Congress and were castigated for the Soviet Union's handling of the accident.

It was the early days of liberalization under Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and Churkin was something new: a handsome, thirty-something diplomat with flawless English and none of the bellicosity for which Soviet officials were typically known.

Churkin went on to be Foreign Ministry spokesman, conducting the regular ministry briefing first in Russian, then answering questions in English, the better to reach western and in particular American audiences.

Vitaly Churki

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the new Russian Federation absorbed the Soviet diplomatic corps and Churkin's career continued uninterrupted. Among other missions, Churkin played an important though largely unheralded role in bringing the war in Yugoslavia to a close.

Churkin is survived by his wife Irina, daughter Anastasia and son Maksim.