Konstantin Konstantinovich Provalov (; 30 September 1949 – 9 April 2021) was a Soviet and Russian diplomat. He served in various diplomatic roles from 1973 onwards, and was Ambassador of Russia to Estonia between 2000 and 2006.

Career

Provalov was born on 30 September 1949 in

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 ...

, then part of the

Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic 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 ...

, in the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

. He studied at

Moscow State Institute of International Relations Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) (, also known as MGIMO University) is an higher education, institute of higher education located in Moscow, Russia. The institute is run by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Russia), Russian ...

, graduating in 1972 with a degree in International Relations, and entered diplomatic service. In addition to his native

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

, he spoke

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

and

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

. Provalov's early service was spent holding various diplomatic posts in

the Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until it dissolved in 1991. During its existence, it was the largest country by area ...

, and later the

Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation (MFA Russia; , МИД РФ) is the central government institution charged with leading the foreign policy and foreign relations of Russia. It is a continuation of the Ministry of Foreig ...

, and in the department's foreign missions and embassies abroad. His first posting, in 1972, was as an assistant in the Ministry's South Asia Department, and was followed by postings to Bangladesh and Myanmar. He also spent an extended period in the apparatus of the

Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union The Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union was the Central committee, highest organ of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) between Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Congresses. Elected by the ...

. In the late 1980s he undertook further studies at the , graduating in 1989. In 1996 Provalov became deputy director of the department of the Executive Secretariat, and deputy executive secretary of the Foreign Ministry. He held the position until April 1999, when he became deputy director of General Secretariat, and deputy secretary general of the Foreign Ministry. He had been appointed to 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 ...

of Envoy Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Second Class on 9 July 1998. During this time he studied at

Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation The Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation is among the oldest diplomatic institutes in the world, that provides education in the field of international relations, international economic relations and inter ...

, graduating from its Higher Diplomatic Courses in 2000. On 15 September 2000 Provalov was appointed Russian ambassador to Estonia, holding the post until 25 July 2006. On his recall, he became director of the Ministry's Historical and Documentary Department, during which time he was promoted to Envoy Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary First Class on 28 November 2007. He remained with the Historical Department until 2012, when he was appointed Russia's

consul general A consul is an official representative of a government who resides in a foreign country to assist and protect citizens of the consul's country, and to promote and facilitate commercial and diplomatic relations between the two countries. A consu ...

Karlovy Vary Karlovy Vary (; , formerly also spelled ''Carlsbad'' in English) is a spa town, spa city in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 49,000 inhabitants. It is located at the confluence of the Ohře and Teplá (river), Teplá ri ...

, in the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

. This was his last foreign posting, which he held until 2015. Provalov died on 9 April 2021. Over his career he had received several awards and honours, including the Certificate of Honour of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the title of . He was also awarded the

Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana The Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana (, also the Order of the Cross of St. Mary's Land) was instituted by the President of Estonia, Lennart Meri, on 16 May 1995 to honour the independence of the Estonian state. (The Latin name ''Terra Mariana'' ...

First Class by Estonia, announced on 18 August 2006 and presented on 22 August 2006. His obituary by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs described him as "distinguished by diligence, dedication, a responsible approach to business, and an attentive attitude towards others."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Provalov, Konstantin 1949 births 2021 deaths Diplomats from Moscow Ambassadors of Russia to Estonia Moscow State Institute of International Relations alumni Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation alumni Recipients of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana, 1st Class