Sergei Kirpichenko

Sergei Vadimovich Kirpichenko (Russian: Сергей Вадимович Кирпиченко, 13 August 1951 – 2 September 2019) was a Russian diplomat. He served as ambassador to various countries during the 1990s until the 2010s, and at the time of his death was the incumbent Ambassador to Egypt.

Born the son of an intelligence officer and an orientalist, Kirpichenko studied at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, and began his career with positions in Soviet embassies in the Middle East, including Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. He rose through the diplomatic ranks, becoming envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary first class in 1996, and in 1998 he took up the post of Ambassador of Russia to the United Arab Emirates. He served as Ambassador to Libya [ru] from 2002, and to Syria from 2006, being appointed full Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary in 2007. In 2011 he became Ambassador to Egypt.

Kirpichenko held this post until his death in 2019, during which time he played a role in Egypt–Russia relations, over a period which included renewed Russian investment in Egypt, the loss of Metrojet Flight 9268 while flying from Egypt to Russia, and the sale to Egypt of the French-built Mistral-class amphibious assault ships originally intended for Russia. He received several awards during his service, including the Order of Honour and the Order of Friendship.