Putin fires Russian ambassador to the U.S., Antonov

This was reported by the Russian news service Interfax.

The decree, signed by Putin on October 10, was published on the official Russian legal information portal.

According to the report, last Saturday, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced that Antonov had completed his term in Washington. On Monday, October 7, Putin’s aide, Yuriy Ushakov, mentioned that the search for a new ambassador to the U.S. was underway.

Ushakov described Antonov’s time in Washington as “difficult,” saying he worked under “extremely challenging conditions, when relations between Russia and the U.S. were nearly non-existent.”

Anatoly Antonov had held the post since 2017. Following Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea, he was included on the sanctions lists of the European Union, Canada, Switzerland, Norway, and Ukraine.

• In May, Antonov made threats toward Ukraine and Western countries, stating that Moscow expects Washington — not Kyiv — to negotiate a ceasefire regarding Ukraine.