Vitaly Churkin

Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic posthumously awarded the Order of the Serbian Flag of the First Degree to Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin for his assistance to Serbia in the United Nations.

Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic posthumously awarded the Order of the Serbian Flag of the First Degree to Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin.

Nikolic did so for the late diplomat's assistance to Serbia in the United Nations, Sputnik reported.

Ukraine's decision to block the adoption by the UN Security Council of a statement dedicated to late Russian ambassador Vitaly Churkin is "beyond good and evil," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said during a joint press conference with his Swedish counterpart Margot Wallstroem following their meeting in Moscow on Tuesday, February 21.

Russia's combative ambassador to the United Nations, Vitaly Churkin, died suddenly in New York on Feb. 20 after being taken ill at work, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

The ministry gave no details on the circumstances of his death but offered condolences to his relatives and said the diplomat had died one day before his 65th birthday.

Marko Djuric has offered his condolences to Russian Ambassador Aleksandar Chepurin over the death of Russia's UN envoy Vitaly Churkin.

According to a statement, the head of the Serbian Government Office for Kosovo and the top Russian diplomat in Serbia met in Belgrade on Tuesday.

Vitaly Churkin, who served as Russia's permanent representative to the United Nations since 2006, "died suddenly" in New York, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced.

Churkin would have turned 65 on Tuesday.

A cease-fire held across most of Syria on Jan. 1 as Russia and Turkey secured unanimous passage of a United Nations resolution backing their efforts to "jumpstart" talks aimed at ending the nearly six-year conflict.

The Security Council resolution aims to pave the way for talks next month in Kazakhstan's capital Astana, under the aegis of Turkey, Russia and Iran.

BELGRADE - Russian UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin issued a blistering criticism of the UK on Monday, suggesting that Britain has little business overseeing questions on Yemen at the Security Council, given that it is also one the largest suppliers of arms to the Gulf states bombing the country.

The Russian and Syrian air forces have halted all air strikes on Aleppo, two days ahead of a planned pause in bombing designed to allow rebels and civilians to leave the city, the Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Oct. 18. 

The announcement follows a promise made by Moscow on Oct. 17 to pause strikes on Oct. 20 for eight hours. 

Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu has said the air forces of Russia and Syria will stop pounding the Syrian city of Aleppo to usher in the "humanitarian pause" successfully on October 20.

There will be six corridors for civilians to leave, and two other will be available for rebels for the time of the pause, TASS news agency quotes him as saying.