# List of ambassadors of Russia and the Soviet Union to Afghanistan

The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to Afghanistan is the official representative of the President and the Government of the Russian Federation to Afghanistan.
The ambassador and his staff work at large in the Embassy of Russia in Kabul. The post of Russian Ambassador to Afghanistan is currently held by Dmitry Zhirnov, incumbent since 29 April 2020.

## History of diplomatic relations

The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic provided unofficial assistance to the Emirate of Afghanistan during the Third Anglo-Afghan War, helping the country to achieve full independence from British influence. The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic was also the first country to recognize and established diplomatic relations with Afghanistan in 1919. Yakov Surits [ru], a former diplomatic representative to Denmark, was appointed plenipotentiary to Afghanistan. On 23 July 1923 relations established at the level of embassies.
From 1992 to 2002, during the years of Taliban rule, diplomatic relations were broken off and no ambassadors were appointed.

## List of representatives (1919 – present)
### Representatives of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic to the Emirate of Afghanistan (1919 – 1922)

| Name | Title | Appointment | Termination | Notes |
| Yakov Surits [ru] | Plenipotentiary | 13 July 1919 | 1921 | |
| Fyodor Raskolnikov | Plenipotentiary | 16 July 1921 | 1922 | |

### Representatives of the Soviet Union to the Emirate of Afghanistan (1922 – 1926)

| Name | Title | Appointment | Termination | Notes |
| Fyodor Raskolnikov | Plenipotentiary | 1922 | 6 February 1924 | |
| Leonid Stark | Plenipotentiary | 22 April 1924 | 1926 | |

### Representatives of the Soviet Union to the Kingdom of Afghanistan (1926 – 1973)

| Name | Title | Appointment | Termination |
| Leonid Stark | Plenipotentiary | 1926 | 16 April 1936 |
| Boris Skvirsky [ru] | Plenipotentiary | 16 April 1936 | 1 November 1937 |
| Konstantin Mikhailov [ru] | Plenipotentiary (until 9 May 1941) Ambassador (after 9 May 1941) | 24 December 1937 | 1 September 1943 |
| Ivan Bakulin [ru] | Ambassador | 11 November 1943 | 23 June 1947 |
| Ivan Samylovsky | Ambassador | 23 June 1947 | 27 May 1948 |
| Ivan Ivanov [ru] | Ambassador | 27 May 1948 | 11 July 1948 |
| Artemy Fedorov [ru] | Ambassador | 6 November 1948 | 10 July 1953 |
| Mikhail Degtyar [ru] | Ambassador | 10 July 1953 | 5 June 1960 |
| Sergey Antonov [ru] | Ambassador | 5 June 1960 | 8 October 1965 |
| Konstantin Alexandrov [ru] | Ambassador | 8 October 1965 | 11 November 1969 |
| Sergey Kiktev [ru] | Ambassador | 11 November 1969 | 3 October 1972 |
| Alexander Puzanov | Ambassador | 3 October 1972 | 1973 |

### Representatives of the Soviet Union to the Republic of Afghanistan (1973 – 1978)

| Name | Title | Appointment | Termination | Notes |
| Alexander Puzanov | Ambassador | 1973 | 1978 | |

### Representatives of the Soviet Union to the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (1978 – 1991)

| Name | Title | Appointment | Termination |
| Alexander Puzanov | Ambassador | 1978 | 10 November 1979 |
| Fikryat Tabeyev [ru] | Ambassador | 10 November 1979 | 13 August 1986 |
| Pavel Mozhayev [ru] | Ambassador | 13 August 1986 | 15 March 1988 |
| Nikolai Yegorychev [ru] | Ambassador | 15 March 1988 | 14 October 1988 |
| Yuli Vorontsov | Ambassador | 14 October 1988 | 15 September 1989 |
| Boris Pastukhov [ru] | Ambassador | 15 September 1989 | 25 December 1991 |

### Representatives of the Russian Federation to the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (1991 – 1992)

| Name | Title | Appointment | Termination | Notes |
| Boris Pastukhov [ru] | Ambassador | 25 December 1991 | 22 February 1992 | |
| Yevgeny Ostrovenko [ru] | Ambassador | 24 January 1992 | 31 December 1992 | |

### Representatives of the Russian Federation to the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (2002 – present)

| Name | Title | Appointment | Termination |
| Mikhail Konarovsky [ru] | Ambassador | 21 February 2002 | 17 February 2004 |
| Zamir Kabulov | Ambassador | 17 February 2004 | 21 September 2009 |
| Andrey Avetsyan [ru] | Ambassador | 21 September 2009 | 1 September 2014 |
| Aleksandr Mantytsky [ru] | Ambassador | 18 November 2014 | 29 April 2020 |
| Dmitry Zhirnov | Ambassador | 29 April 2020 | |