# List of ambassadors of Australia to Russia

The ambassador of Australia to the Russian Federation is an officer of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the head of the Embassy of the Commonwealth of Australia to the Russian Federation. The position has the rank and status of an ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary and holds non-resident accreditation for Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Armenia and Belarus. The current ambassador since November 2023 is John Geering.

## Posting history

Australia's first diplomatic presence in Russia was established in 1942. This occurred on 13 October 1942 with the conclusion of negotiations between Foreign Ministers Herbert Evatt and Vyacheslav Molotov. The Australian legation opened in January 1943 (the first Minister, Bill Slater was appointed in October 1942) in the temporary Russian capital of Kuybyshev and the Soviet embassy in Canberra also opened in March 1943.
By the war's end the legation moved to Moscow and on 16 February 1948 was upgraded to an embassy. In February 1950 the ambassador Alan Watt was recalled by the Australian government and was not replaced. In April 1954 with the scandal of the Petrov Affair the embassy in Moscow was closed, but later reopened in 1959. Between 1964 and 1966, the ambassador in Moscow held accreditation as Ambassador to Sweden. Between June 1972 and September 1973, the ambassador in Moscow was accredited to Warsaw. With the dissolution of the Soviet Union in late 1991, Australia acted to recognise the new states of the Commonwealth of Independent States on 26 December 1991. As a result, the embassy's accreditation was transferred to the Russian Federation, while non-resident accreditation to many of the new former Soviet republics was acquired. Non-resident accreditation with Ukraine was consequently included from 10 January 1992, but was transferred to the new embassy established in Kyiv in February 2015 following the Euromaidan protests across Ukraine. From 12 June 1973 to 29 May 1991, accreditation to Mongolia was also held by the embassy in Moscow until it was transferred to the Embassy in Beijing. Accreditation for Azerbaijan (since 1991) and Georgia (since 1992) was transferred to the Embassy in Ankara, Turkey in 2011. Accreditation for Moldova was transferred to the embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine in 2019.
The Australian Government established an embassy in Almaty, Kazakhstan in 1995 and appointed its first resident ambassador, Douglas Townsend. The Australian Government announced plans to close its embassy in Kazakhstan in August 1999. According to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the closure was due to resource constraints.

## Officeholders
### Heads of mission

| Ordinal | Officeholder | Title | Term start date | Term end date | Time in office |
| 1 | Bill Slater | Minister to the Soviet Union | 12 October 1942 (1942-10-12) | June 1943 (1943-06) | 7 months |
| 2 | James Maloney | Minister to the Soviet Union | 5 November 1943 (1943-11-5) | 12 August 1946 (1946-08-12) | 2 years, 280 days |
| (n/a) | Noël Deschamps | Chargé d'affaires | 12 August 1946 (1946-08-12) | 1947 (1947) | 0–1 years |
| 3 | Alan Watt | Minister to the Soviet Union | June 1947 (1947-06) | 16 February 1948 (1948-02-16) | 2 years, 8 months |
| 3 | Alan Watt | Ambassador to the Soviet Union | 16 February 1948 (1948-02-16) | 10 February 1950 (1950-02-10) | 2 years, 8 months |
| (n/a) | Frederick Blakeney | Chargé d'affaires | 10 February 1950 (1950-02-10) | September 1951 (1951-09) | 1 year, 6 months |
| (n/a) | John McMillan | Chargé d'affaires | September 1951 (1951-09) | 14 October 1953 (1953-10-14) | 2 years, 1 month |
| (n/a) | Brian Hill | Chargé d'affaires | 14 October 1953 (1953-10-14) | 24 February 1954 (1954-02-24) | 133 days |
| Embassy closed ||||||||
| (n/a) | Bill Cutts | Chargé d'affaires | 22 July 1959 (1959-07-22) | 28 July 1960 (1960-07-28) | 1 year, 6 days |
| 4 | Keith Waller | Ambassador to the Soviet Union | 28 July 1960 (1960-07-28) | 1962 (1962) | 1–2 years |
| 5 | Stewart Wolfe Jamieson | Ambassador to the Soviet Union | 1962 (1962) | 1965 (1965) | 2–3 years |
| 6 | John Rowland | Ambassador to the Soviet Union | February 1965 (1965-02) | 1968 (1968) | 2–3 years |
| 7 | Frederick Blakeney | Ambassador to the Soviet Union | 1968 (1968) | June 1972 (1972-06) | 3–4 years |
| 8 | Lawrence John Lawrey | Ambassador to the Soviet Union | 12 June 1972 (1972-06-12) | April 1974 (1974-04) | 1 year, 9 months |
| 9 | James Plimsoll | Ambassador to the Soviet Union | 23 April 1974 (1974-04-23) | 4 August 1977 (1977-08-04) | 3 years, 103 days |
| 10 | Murray Bourchier | Ambassador to the Soviet Union | 4 August 1977 (1977-08-04) | August 1980 (1980-08) | 2 years, 11 months |
| 11 | David Wyke Evans | Ambassador to the Soviet Union | 1 March 1981 (1981-03-01) | March 1984 (1984-03) | 3 years |
| 12 | Ted Pocock | Ambassador to the Soviet Union | 21 March 1984 (1984-03-21) | September 1987 (1987-09) | 3 years, 5 months |
| 13 | Robin Ashwin | Ambassador to the Soviet Union | 28 September 1987 (1987-09-28) | May 1991 (1991-05) | 3 years, 7 months |
| 14 | Cavan Hogue | Ambassador to the Soviet Union | 29 May 1991 (1991-05-29) | 26 December 1991 (1991-12-26) | 3 years, 5 months |
| 14 | Cavan Hogue | Ambassador to the Russian Federation | 26 December 1991 (1991-12-26) | November 1994 (1994-11) | 3 years, 5 months |
| 15 | Geoffrey Bentley | Ambassador to the Russian Federation | 2 November 1994 (1994-11-02) | 19 December 1998 (1998-12-19) | 4 years, 47 days |
| 16 | Ruth Pearce | Ambassador to the Russian Federation | 18 November 1998 (1998-11-18) | 29 January 2002 (2002-01-29) | 3 years, 72 days |
| 17 | Leslie Rowe | Ambassador to the Russian Federation | 18 December 2002 (2002-12-18) | February 2005 (2005-02) | 2 years, 1 month |
| 18 | Bob Tyson | Ambassador to the Russian Federation | 28 February 2005 (2005-02-28) | June 2008 (2008-06) | 3 years, 3 months |
| 19 | Margaret Twomey | Ambassador to the Russian Federation | June 2008 (2008-06) | October 2013 (2013-10) | 5 years, 4 months |
| 20 | Paul Myler | Ambassador to the Russian Federation | 24 October 2013 (2013-10-24) | December 2015 (2015-12) | 2 years, 1 month |
| 21 | Peter Tesch | Ambassador to the Russian Federation | January 2016 (2016-01) | April 2019 (2019-04) | 3 years, 3 months |
| 22 | Graeme Meehan | Ambassador to the Russian Federation | 5 February 2020 (2020-02-05) | 14 November 2023 | 3 years, 282 days |
| 23 | John Geering | Ambassador to the Russian Federation | 14 November 2023 (2023-11-14) | incumbent | 1 year, 116 days |

#### Notes

    ^A : Also served as non-resident Ambassador of Australia to Sweden, between 1964 and 1966.
    ^B : Also served as non-resident Ambassador of Australia to Poland, between June 1972 and September 1973.
    ^C : Also served as non-resident Ambassador of Australia to Ukraine, between 10 January 1992 and February 2015.
    ^D : Also served as non-resident Ambassador of Australia to Mongolia, between 12 June 1973 to 29 May 1991.
    ^E : Also served as non-resident Ambassador of Australia to the Republic of Azerbaijan between 26 December 1991 and 2011.
    ^F : Also served as non-resident Ambassador of Australia to Georgia, between 1992 and 2011.
    ^G : Also served as non-resident Ambassador of Australia to the Republic of Uzbekistan, since 26 December 1991.
    ^H : Also served as non-resident Ambassador of Australia to the Republic of Kazakhstan, between 26 December 1991 and June 1995, and since 1999.
    ^I : Also served as non-resident Ambassador of Australia to the Kyrgyz Republic, since 26 December 1991.
    ^J : Also served as non-resident Ambassador of Australia to Turkmenistan, since 26 December 1991.
    ^K : Also served as non-resident Ambassador of Australia to the Republic of Tajikistan, since 26 December 1991.
    ^L : Also served as non-resident Ambassador of Australia to the Republic of Armenia, since 26 December 1991.
    ^M : Also served as non-resident Ambassador of Australia to the Republic of Belarus, since 26 December 1991.

### Ambassadors to Kazakhstan

| Ordinal | Officeholder | Term start date | Term end date | Time in office | Notes |
| 1 | Douglas Townsend | June 1995 (1995-06) | November 1997 (1997-11) | 2 years, 5 months | |
| 2 | Peter Tesch | November 1997 (1997-11) | 1999 (1999) | 1–2 years | |