# List of ambassadors of Russia to Malta

The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Malta is the official representative of the President and the Government of the Russian Federation to the President and the Government of Malta.
The ambassador and his staff work at large in the Embassy of Russia in the town of San Ġwann, close to the capital of Valletta. The post of Russian Ambassador to Malta is currently held by Andrei Lopukhov [ru], incumbent since 29 October 2021.

## History of diplomatic relations

Diplomatic relations between the Soviet Union and Malta were established on 19 July 1967. Diplomatic relations were initially handled by the Soviet ambassador to the United Kingdom, who held concurrent accreditation as the ambassador to Malta. The first such ambassador was Mikhail Smirnovsky, who was appointed ambassador to Malta on 30 October 1967, and who presented his letter of credence on 10 November 1967. The State of Malta had declared independence in 1964, though it continued to be a Commonwealth realm until 1974, when it became an independent republic, while remaining within the Commonwealth. Relations continued to be through the Soviet embassy in London until the opening of an embassy in Malta on 1 July 1981. The first Soviet ambassador to be solely accredited to Malta was Viktor Smirnov, appointed on 22 October 1981. With the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the government of Malta recognized the Russian Federation in December 1991. The Soviet ambassador, Vladimir Plechko [ru] was replaced by Valentina Matviyenko as ambassador for Russia, and continued as representative of the Russian Federation until 1994.

## List of representatives (1967 – present)
### Representatives of the Soviet Union to the State of Malta (1967 – 1974)

| Name | Title | Appointment | Termination | Notes |
| Mikhail Smirnovsky | Ambassador | 30 October 1967 | 12 May 1973 | Concurrently ambassador to the United Kingdom Accredited from 10 November 1967 |
| Nikolai Lunkov [ru] | Ambassador | 12 May 1973 | 13 December 1974 | Concurrently ambassador to the United Kingdom Accredited from 8 February 1974 |

### Representatives of the Soviet Union to the Republic of Malta (1974 – 1991)

| Name | Title | Appointment | Termination | Notes |
| Nikolai Lunkov [ru] | Ambassador | 13 December 1974 | 19 November 1980 | Concurrently ambassador to the United Kingdom |
| Viktor Popov [ru] | Ambassador | 19 November 1980 | 22 October 1981 | Concurrently ambassador to the United Kingdom Accredited from 24 March 1981 |
| Viktor Smirnov | Ambassador | 22 October 1981 | 10 September 1987 | Accredited from 5 December 1981 |
| Vladimir Plechko [ru] | Ambassador | 10 September 1987 | 25 December 1991 | |

### Representatives of the Russian Federation to Malta (1991 – present)

| Name | Title | Appointment | Termination |
| Valentina Matviyenko | Ambassador | 25 December 1991 | 21 September 1994 |
| Yevgeny Mikhailov [ru] | Ambassador | 21 September 1994 | 20 September 1996 |
| Viktor Isakov [ru] | Ambassador | 20 September 1996 | 30 April 1999 |
| Sergey Zotov [ru] | Ambassador | 30 April 1999 | 5 August 2002 |
| Valentin Vlasov | Ambassador | 5 August 2002 | 27 February 2006 |
| Andrey Granovsky [ru] | Ambassador | 27 February 2006 | 10 September 2010 |
| Boris Marchuk [ru] | Ambassador | 10 September 2010 | 12 December 2014 |
| Vladimir Malygin | Ambassador | 12 December 2014 | 29 October 2021 |
| Andrei Lopukhov [ru] | Ambassador | 29 October 2021 | |