Dmitry Fyodorovich Mezentsev (; born 18 August 1959) is a Russian politician and diplomat serving as the Presidential Plenipotentiary Representative in the

Constitutional Court of Russia The Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation () is a high court within the judiciary of Russia which is empowered to rule on whether certain laws or presidential decrees are in fact contrary to the Constitution of Russia. Its objective is o ...

since April 2025. Previously he served as the State Secretary of the Union State of Russia and Belarus (2021–2025), Russia's Ambassador to Belarus (2019–2021),

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

from Sakhalin Oblast (2015–2019), Secretary-General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (2013–2015) and Governor of Irkutsk Oblast (2009–2012). In 2012 Mezentsev ran for President of Russia, but was rejected by the Central Election Commission.

Early life

Mezentsev was born on 18 August 1959 in

Leningrad Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

, then part of the

Russian SFSR The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (Russian SFSR or RSFSR), previously known as the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic and the Russian Soviet Republic, and unofficially as Soviet Russia,Declaration of Rights of the labo ...

2012 presidential campaign

Mezentsev tried to run for President of Russia in 2012. On 14 December 2011, the trade Union Committee of the East Siberian railway nominated Dmitry Mezentsev as a presidential candidate. His candidacy was supported by the then President of Russian Railways Vladimir Yakunin. However, the CEC rejected Mezentsev's candidacy, as after checking the signatures collected in his support, too many signatures were not recognized as valid. On 19 March 2021, Mezentsev was relieved of his post as ambassador to Belarus by presidential decree. On the same day President of Belarus

Alexander Lukashenko Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko (also transliterated as Alyaksandr Ryhoravich Lukashenka; born 30 August 1954) is a Belarusian politician who has been the first and only president of Belarus since the office's establishment in 1994, making hi ...

appointed Mezentsev State Secretary of the Union State of Russia and Belarus, replacing Grigory Rapota.

International sanctions

In February 2024 he was sanctioned by the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

for helping organize the transportation of children from Ukraine to Belarus during the

Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

and for visiting camps where deported children from Ukraine resided. He was then sanctioned by the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

in June 2024 for the same reason of the deportation of Ukrainian children to Belarus, in addition they stated that he was infringing the territorial integrity of Ukraine with these actions. Prior to both of these sanctions in November 2023 he was sanctioned by Ukraine.

Awards

* Order For Merit to the Fatherland 4th class * Order of Honour * Medal "For Construction of the Baikal-Amur Railway" (USSR) * Commander of the Order of the Legion of Honour (France)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mezentsev, Dmitry 1959 births Living people Diplomats from Saint Petersburg Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary (Russian Federation) Members of the Federation Council of Russia (after 2000) Ambassadors of Russia to Belarus Governors of Irkutsk Oblast Politicians from Saint Petersburg Recipients of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", 3rd class Recipients of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", 4th class Recipients of the Order of Honour (Russia) Academic staff of Saint Petersburg State University Officers of the Legion of Honour