Konstantin Iosifovich Kosachev (; born 17 September 1962) is a Russian politician and former diplomat. He is a senator at the

Federation Council The Federation Council, unofficially Senate, is the upper house of the Federal Assembly of Russia, with the lower house being the State Duma. It was established by the Constitution of the Russian Federation in 1993. Each of the 89 federal s ...

(Russian parliament's upper house) and chairs its Foreign Affairs Committee. He has been on the US sanctions list since 2018. After graduating from the

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 ...

, Kosachev was a diplomat at the Russian Embassy in Sweden. He was elected to the

State Duma The State Duma is the lower house of the Federal Assembly (Russia), Federal Assembly of Russia, with the upper house being the Federation Council (Russia), Federation Council. It was established by the Constitution of Russia, Constitution of t ...

in 1999. He was appointed head of

Rossotrudnichestvo The Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States Affairs, Compatriots Living Abroad, and International Humanitarian Cooperation or Rossotrudnichestvo is an autonomous Russian government of Russia, federal government agency under the ...

in 2012. In December 2014, he became a member of the Federation Council.

Early life and education

Konstantin Kosachev was born in the Pushkin district of

Moscow Oblast Moscow Oblast (, , informally known as , ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). With a population of 8,524,665 (Russian Census (2021), 2021 Census) living in an area of , it is one of the most densely populate ...

on 17 September 1962 to Nina G. and Joseph Artemyevitch Kosachev, a diplomat who worked in the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral r ...

of the

USSR 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 lived in Sweden eight years and attended school there. He later studied in Moscow, graduating in 1979.Лицом к лицу. Константин Косачев.
— Радио Свобода, 06.04.2003. In 1984, Kosachev graduated from the

. He is fluent in Swedish and English. As a translator, Kosachev worked in various diplomatic posts in the central and foreign offices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the USSR and Russia. In 1991 he graduated from training at the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Diplomatic career

Kosachev became first secretary of Russian embassy in Sweden in 1991. He was named advisor to the embassy in 1994. Kosachev participated in several international conferences on European security and disarmament. He was part of an advisory group to Russia's minister of foreign affairs. He was also deputy director of the 2nd European Department of the Russian foreign ministry, in charge of implementing Russian foreign policy in the Nordic area. From May 1998 Kosachev was first an adviser, then an assistant for international affairs to the prime minister (under

Sergey Kiriyenko Sergey Vladilenovich Kiriyenko (''né'' ''Izraitel''; ; born 26 July 1962) is a Russian politician who has served as First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Administration of Russia since 5 October 2016. He previously served as the 30th ...

Yevgeny Primakov Yevgeny Maksimovich Primakov (29 October 1929 – 26 June 2015, ) was a Russian politician and diplomat who served as Prime Minister of Russia from 1998 to 1999. During his long career, he also served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1996 to ...

, and

Sergei Stepashin Sergei Vadimovich Stepashin (; born 2 March 1952) is a Russian politician who briefly served as Prime Minister of Russia in 1999. Prior to this he had been appointed as federal security minister for counterintelligence by President Boris Yeltsin ...

). He also served as secretariat of the chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation.

Political career

State Duma deputy

From 19 December 1999 to December 2003, Kosachev was a deputy of the

3rd State Duma of the Russian Federation The State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation of the 3rd convocation () is a former convocation of the legislative branch of the State Duma, lower house of the Russian Parliament, elected on 19 December 1999. The 3rd convocation ...

, the first deputy head of the

Fatherland – All Russia Fatherland – All Russia (; OVR) was a political bloc that existed in Russia from 1998 to 2002. It was formed from the movement Fatherland, chaired by the Mayor of Moscow, Yuri Luzhkov, and the movement All Russia, chaired by regional Preside ...

political faction, and deputy chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee. Kosachev was a member of the Commissions to assist the

Federal Republic of Yugoslavia The State Union of Serbia and Montenegro or simply Serbia and Montenegro, known until 2003 as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and commonly referred to as FR Yugoslavia (FRY) or simply Yugoslavia, was a country in Southeast Europe locate ...

in overcoming the consequences of the NATO bombing, to implement the

Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty The Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, also known as the ABM Treaty or ABMT, was an arms control treaty between the United States and the Soviet Union on the limitation of the anti-ballistic missile (ABM) systems used in defending areas against ball ...

between the Russian Federation, the

Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) is a multilateral treaty to ban nuclear weapons test explosions and any other nuclear explosions, for both civilian and military purposes, in all environments. It was adopted by the United Nati ...

(CTBT) and to conclude a new treaty on further reduction and limitation of strategic offensive arms (

New START New START (Russian language, Russian abbrev.: СНВ-III, ''SNV-III'' from ''сокращение стратегических наступательных вооружений'' "reduction of strategic offensive arms") is a Nuclear disarmament, ...

). In 2003, Kosachev defended his Ph.D. thesis on "The concept of development of international law in the fight against nuclear terrorism" at the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From 2003 to 2007, Kosachev was deputy of the 4th State Duma of the Russian Federation and part of the United Russia party. He served as Chairman of the State Duma Foreign Affairs Committee. In 2005, Kosachev wrote an article entitled "Why Would a Bear Need Wings", challenging then-Chairman of the State Duma Boris Gryzlov's position that the United Russia party did not need working groups. On 2 December 2007, he was elected deputy of the

5th State Duma of the Russian Federation The State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation of the 5th convocation (Russian: Государственная Дума Федерального Собрания Российской Федерации V созыва) is a forme ...

and continued to chair the State Duma Foreign Affairs Committee. On 4 December 2011, Kosachev was elected deputy of the

6th State Duma of the Russian Federation The State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation of the 6th convocation (Russian: Государственная Дума Федерального Собрания Российской Федерации VI созыва) is a fo ...

. He was elected deputy chairman of the State Duma Foreign Affairs Committee.

Rossotrudnichestvo

On 5 March 2012,

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Ru ...

appointed Kosachev head of

, the federal agency for the

Commonwealth of Independent States The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is a regional organization, regional intergovernmental organization in Eurasia. It was formed following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. It covers an ar ...

, Compatriots Living Abroad and International Humanitarian Cooperation and the Russian president's special envoy for relations with CIS member-states.

Federation Council

On 18 December 2014, Kosachev was appointed

representative by the heads of the

Chuvash Republic Chuvashia, officially known as Chuvash Republic — Chuvashia, is a republics of Russia, republic of Russia located in Eastern Europe. It is the homeland of the Chuvash people, a Turkic languages, Turkic ethnic group. Its capital city, capital i ...

. A week later, on 25 December 2014, he was elected Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs. On 21 September 2015, Kosachev was named representative of the Government of the

Mari El Republic Mari El,; ; officially the Mari El Republic, is a republic of Russia. It is in the European region of the country, along the northern bank of the Volga River, and administratively part of the Volga Federal District. The republic has a populat ...

in the Russian Federation Council.

Sanctions

In September 2015 Kosachev was included in the sanctions list of individuals and entities adopted the

National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine The National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, ( NSDCU; , ''RNBOU'') or RNBO, is the coordinating state body of the executive power under the President of Ukraine on issues of national security and defense. It is a state agency tasked wi ...

. In April 2018, the United States imposed sanctions on him and 23 other Russian nationals. He was sanctioned by the UK government in 2022 in relation to the

Russo-Ukrainian War The Russo-Ukrainian War began in February 2014 and is ongoing. Following Ukraine's Revolution of Dignity, Russia Russian occupation of Crimea, occupied and Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, annexed Crimea from Ukraine. It then ...

Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe

Kosachev headed the State Duma's delegation to the

Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) is the parliamentary arm of the Council of Europe, a 46-nation international organisation dedicated to upholding human rights, democracy and the rule of law. The Assembly is made up of ...

(PACE) from 2004 to 2012. He served as vice-speaker of PACE and coordinated a deputy group for relations with the Swedish Parliament. When considering the 2006 resolution condemning communist regimes, Kosachev declared it inadmissible to equate communism and Nazism: "It is impossible to equate the communist ideology and the ideology of Nazism".

Political views

In June 2010, Kosachev wrote an article for the

Echo of Moscow Echo of Moscow () was a 24/7 commercial Russian radio station based in Moscow. It broadcast in many Russian cities, some of the former Soviet republics (through partnerships with local radio stations), and via the Internet. From 1996 its editor- ...

website proposing that the Russian Federation devise set of principles or a historical doctrine whereby it could disclaim any financial, legal, political or moral responsibility for USSR's actions in former territories while still acting as a successor state. In November 2011, he expressed the view that the

European Monetary Union The economic and monetary union (EMU) of the European Union is a group of policies aimed at converging the economies of member states of the European Union at three stages. There are three stages of the EMU, each of which consists of progress ...

(euro zone) exclude Greece, Hungary, Portugal, Ireland, Spain, Italy and Latvia, because these countries have a huge government debt. At that time, neither Latvia nor Hungary were part of the Eurozone. Kosachev opposes Russian ratification of Article 20 of the

United Nations Convention against Corruption The United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) is the only legally binding international anti-corruption multilateral treaty. Negotiated by UN member states, member states of the United Nations (UN) it was adopted by the UN General Ass ...

. He believes that the 20th article contradicts Article 49 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation and could deprive millions of Russian citizens of the presumption of innocence. In February 2017, following the resignation of Michael T. Flynn as national security adviser, Kosachev opined that

Russophobia Anti-Russian sentiment or Russophobia is the dislike or fear of Russia, Russian people, or Russian culture. The opposite of Russophobia is Russophilia. Historically, Russophobia has included state-sponsored and grassroots mistreatment and di ...

was

pandemic A pandemic ( ) is an epidemic of an infectious disease that has a sudden increase in cases and spreads across a large region, for instance multiple continents or worldwide, affecting a substantial number of individuals. Widespread endemic (epi ...

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

's administration. Kosachev spread the Ukraine bioweapons conspiracy theory, claiming without evidence that Ukrainians were being turned into genetically modified super soldiers in the alleged laboratories in Ukraine. In September 2022, Kosachev warned that after the annexation referendums in Russian-occupied Ukraine, "protecting people in this region will not be our right, but our duty. An attack on people and territories will be an attack on Russia. With all the consequences." In March 2025, Kosachev responded to US President Donald Trump's attempts to negotiate a ceasefire in the Russo-Ukrainian war, saying that "Russia is advancing n the battlefield so it will be different with Russia. Any agreements should be on our terms, not American."

Awards and honors

Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" The Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" () is a state decoration of the Russian Federation. It was instituted on 2 March 1994 by Presidential Decree 442. Until the re-establishment of the Order of St. Andrew in 1998, it was the highest order of ...

4th degree (20 April 2006) - for active participation in legislative work and many years of diligent work * Order of Honour (7 December 2012) - for his great contribution to the preservation, promotion and development of Russian culture, education and the Russian language abroad *

Order of Friendship The Order of Friendship (, ') is a state decoration of the Russian Federation established by Boris Yeltsin by presidential decree 442 of 2 March 1994 to reward Russian and foreign nationals whose work, deeds and efforts have been aimed at ...

(21 January 2003) - for strengthening the rule of law, active legislative activity, and many years of diligent work *Commander of the

Order of the Polar Star The Royal Order of the Polar Star (Swedish language, Swedish: ''Kungliga Nordstjärneorden''), sometimes translated as the Royal Order of the North Star, is a Swedish order of chivalry created by Frederick I of Sweden, King Frederick I on 23 F ...

(

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

, 2004). *Order of Friendship (

South Ossetia South Ossetia, officially the Republic of South Ossetia or the State of Alania, is a landlocked country in the South Caucasus with International recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, partial diplomatic recognition. It has an offici ...

, 17 October 2009) - for his great contribution to the maintenance of peace and stability in the Caucasus, strengthening of inter-parliamentary relations and active in championing the interests of the Republic of South Ossetia in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe *Medal of the Order "For Services to the Chuvash Republic" (10 March 2012) - for long-term work to defend the interests of the Chuvash Republic in the State Duma *Honorary Doctor of Chuvash State University (28 March 2007) *Honorary Doctor of the Institute of International Law and Economics. Griboyedov (2008) *Samara Cross ( Bulgarian Public Council) *Order of Honour (South Ossetia, 14 April 2016) *Envoy Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Class 2 (29 September 1999) *Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary (1 December 2009) *Acting State Advisor of the Russian Federation, Class 2 (25 January 1999) Kosachev is a member of the Alexander Gorchakov Public Diplomacy Fund's Management Board.

Personal life

Kosachev met his wife, Lyudmila Muranova (b. 1958) in Sweden. They have three children.