Ivan Ivanovich Ilyichev (; 14 August 1905 – 2 September 1983) was a Soviet military official and diplomat. ( at

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) Born in

Navoloki Navoloki () is the name of several types of inhabited localities in Russia, inhabited localities in Russia. ;Urban localities *Navoloki, Ivanovo Oblast, a town in Kineshemsky District of Ivanovo Oblast ;Rural localities *Navoloki, Vologda Oblast, ...

Kaluga Governorate Kaluga Governorate () was an administrative-territorial unit ('' guberniya'') of the Russian Empire and the Russian SFSR, which existed in 1796–1929. Its capital was Kaluga. Administrative division Kaluga Governorate consisted of the following ...

in 1905, Ilyichev joined the

Russian Communist Party (bolsheviks) The Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU),. Abbreviated in Russian as КПСС, ''KPSS''. at some points known as the Russian Communist Party (RCP), All-Union Communist Party and Bolshevik Party, and sometimes referred to as the Soviet ...

in 1925 and went on to serve in the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

. He studied at the

Lenin Military-Political Academy The V. I. Lenin Military-Political Academy (), abbreviated as VPA, was a higher military educational institution of the Soviet Armed Forces from 1919 to 1991 that provided advanced training to political workers. History The predecessor of ...

until May 1938, and after graduation he became the head of the Political Directorate of the Red Army Intelligence, as a Brigade Commissar. During the

German-Soviet War The Eastern Front, also known as the Great Patriotic War (term), Great Patriotic War in the Soviet Union and its successor states, and the German–Soviet War in modern Germany and Ukraine, was a Theater (warfare), theatre of World War II ...

from August 1942 until July 1945 he was the Head of the

GRU Gru is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the ''Despicable Me'' film series. Gru or GRU may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * Gru (rapper), Serbian rapper * Gru, an antagonist in '' The Kine Saga'' Organizations Georgia (c ...

. After the War, he joined the

Soviet Ministry of Foreign Affairs The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics () was founded on 6 July 1923. It had three names during its existence: People's Commissariat for Foreign Affairs (1923–1946), Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1946–1991) ...

, and from 19491952 he was the deputy political adviser to the Soviet Control Commission in Germany. He served in the

diplomatic mission A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually denotes ...

of the Soviet Union to

East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

as its head for several months over the period 19521953. After his posting to

East Berlin East Berlin (; ) was the partially recognised capital city, capital of East Germany (GDR) from 1949 to 1990. From 1945, it was the Allied occupation zones in Germany, Soviet occupation sector of Berlin. The American, British, and French se ...

was completed, he was posted to

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

, first as political adviser to the Soviet Control Commission in Austria, and until 13 June as Soviet Supreme Commissar. From 13 June 1953 to 31 March 1956 Ilyichev was

Ambassador of the Soviet Union to Austria The ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Austria is the official representative of the president and the government of the Russian Federation to the president and the government of the Republic ...

, with the

diplomatic rank Diplomatic rank is a system of professional and social rank used in the world of diplomacy and international relations. A diplomat's rank determines many ceremonial details, such as the order of precedence at official processions, Seating plan, t ...

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or so ...

. After the completion of his mission to Vienna, he returned to

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

where he became the Head of the European Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, before being posted to

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

on 26 January 1966 as Ambassador of the Soviet Union to Denmark. His mission in the Danish capital finished on 12 November 1968, whereby he returned to Moscow and a position in the central apparatus of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs until his retirement in 1975. He died in Moscow in 1983.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ilyichev, Ivan Ivanovich 1905 births 1983 deaths People from Kaluzhsky Uyezd Ambassadors of the Soviet Union to Austria Ambassadors of the Soviet Union to Denmark Ambassadors of the Soviet Union to East Germany Recipients of the Order of Kutuzov, 1st class Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour Recipients of the Order of the Red Star GRU officers Soviet lieutenant generals