Pyotr Andreievitch Abrasimov (, ; 1912–2009) was a

Soviet 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 ...

war hero and politician who became a career diplomat. He served his country as ambassador successively in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

and

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 ...

Life

Abrasimov was born in Boguszewsk, a recently expanded but still small village in the eastern part of

Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...

. The village's economic importance had been much enhanced when the local land-owner agreed to the erection of a station along the new railway line, which had opened in 1902, linking

Vitebsk Vitebsk or Vitsyebsk (, ; , ; ) is a city in northern Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Vitebsk Region and Vitebsk District, though it is administratively separated from the district. As of 2025, it has 358,927 inhabitants, m ...

Žlobin Zhlobin (; ; ; ) is a town in Gomel Region, Belarus. It is located on the Dnieper River, and serves as the administrative center of Zhlobin District. It is situated from Gomel. As of 2025, it has a population of 76,304. The town is notable fo ...

and

Orsha Orsha (; , ; ) is a city in Vitebsk Region, Belarus. It is situated on the fork of the Dnieper, Dnieper River and Arshytsa River, and it serves as the administrative center of Orsha District. As of 2025, it has a population of 101,662. History ...

to the rapidly expanding rail network of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

(which included Belarus). Pyotr Andreievitch's father was a farmer who fought in the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and in the ensuing

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

that followed it in the Russian Empire. He was killed in fighting near

while a member of a

Red Guard The Red Guards () were a mass, student-led, paramilitary social movement mobilized by Chairman Mao Zedong in 1966 until their abolition in 1968, during the first phase of the Cultural Revolution, which he had instituted.Teiwes According to a ...

battalion, leaving his widow to bring up Pyotr and his sister. In 1933 Abrasimov's own specialty had become the electro-technical industrial sector. By 1939, however, he was attending the

Belarusian State University The Belarusian State University (BSU) (, ; ) is a university in Minsk, Belarus. It was founded on October 30, 1921. The university was ranked 387th in the world in the 2023 QS World University Rankings. History 1919–1949 On February 25, 1919, ...

Minsk Minsk (, ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach (Berezina), Svislach and the now subterranean Nyamiha, Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the administra ...

, studying history. It was only in 1940, as the worst of the Stalinist purges were coming to an end, that he joined the Communist Party. Till 1941 Abrasimov worked in government and trades union institutions, after which he became an officer 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 ...

and, during the

Great Patriotic 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 ...

, an officer in the Belarusian partisan movement which at the time was operating behind German lines with approximately 35,000 men. By the end of the war he had earned four Soviet military medals. Between 1946 and 1952 he served as permanent representative of the

Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic The Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (BSSR, Byelorussian SSR or Byelorussia; ; ), also known as Soviet Belarus or simply Belarus, was a Republics of the Soviet Union, republic of the Soviet Union (USSR). It existed between 1920 and 19 ...

Ministerial Council in the

Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union The Council of Ministers of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ( rus, Совет министров СССР, r=Sovet Ministrov SSSR, p=sɐˈvʲet mʲɪˈnʲistrəf ˌɛsˌɛsˌɛsˈɛr), sometimes abbreviated as Sovmin or referred to as the ...

. In this position he worked directly under

Alexei Kosygin Alexei Nikolayevich Kosygin (–18 December 1980) was a Soviet people, Soviet statesman during the Cold War. He served as the Premier of the Soviet Union from 1964 to 1980 and, alongside General Secretary Leonid Brezhnev, was one of its most ...

and was able to preside over a period of strong economic recovery for

, with the establishment of tractor and automobile plants as well as the creation of major agricultural enterprises. He subsequently became first deputy president of the Belorussian Council of Ministers and Secretary of the Communist Party Central Committee. At the same time he resumed his studies in history at Minsk University. Between 1950 and 1958 Abrasimov was a member of the

Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union The Supreme Soviet of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (SSUSSR) was the highest body of state authority of the Soviet Union (USSR) from 1936 to 1991. Based on the principle of unified power, it was the only branch of government in the So ...

. Abrasimov's career in the diplomatic service began in 1950 or 1956 with a posting to

. From 1957 till 1961 he was the Soviet ambassador to

. His term in

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

directly followed the rehabilitation of

Władysław Gomułka Władysław Gomułka (; 6 February 1905 – 1 September 1982) was a Polish Communist politician. He was the ''de facto'' leader of Polish People's Republic, post-war Poland from 1947 until 1948, and again from 1956 to 1970. Born in 1905 in ...

who earlier in the 1950s been disgraced, imprisoned and expelled from the party for "right wing-reactionary deviation" but who in 1956 became First Secretary of the Polish Party. Abrasimov and Gomułka formed a good working relationship of mutual trust. In 1961, to the surprise of many in the Soviet Foreign Ministry, Abrasimov was recalled from Warsaw and appointed as First Secretary of the party committee in the then relatively underdeveloped

Smolensk Smolensk is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River, west-southwest of Moscow. First mentioned in 863, it is one of the oldest cities in Russia. It has been a regional capital for most of ...

region. The background was a scathing speech by the national leader,

Nikita Khrushchev Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev (– 11 September 1971) was the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964 and the Premier of the Soviet Union, Chai ...

, concerning the collapse of agriculture in various regions including that around Smolensk. Abrasimov knew the region, and he had only respect for its hardworking people. He listened in silence to Krushchev's critical speech to a Central Committee plenum, but directly afterwards asked to be appointed to the Smolensk Regional Party Committee First Secretary job: his request was unhesitatingly granted, and he energetically devoted himself to addressing the matters highlighted by Krushchev. At the end of 1962 he returned to his ambassadorial career, appointed to head up the Soviet Union's important diplomatic mission in the

German Democratic Republic 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 ...

in succession to

Mikhail Pervukhin Mikhail Georgiyevich Pervukhin (; 14 October Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="nowiki/>O.S. 1 October1904 – 22 July 1978) was a Soviet people">Soviet politician and an engineer who served as people's commissar for various commis ...

, taking up his appointment at the start of 1963. Building on an approach he had developed during his time in Warsaw, he proved a new kind of post-Stalin Soviet ambassador. He took a relatively high-profile approach, visiting factories and exhibitions, and appearing on television. He secretly met several times with

Willy Brandt Willy Brandt (; born Herbert Ernst Karl Frahm; 18 December 1913 – 8 October 1992) was a German politician and statesman who was leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) from 1964 to 1987 and concurrently served as the Chancellor ...

, then

Mayor of West Berlin The governing mayor () of Berlin is the head of government, presiding over the Berlin Senate. As Berlin is an independent city as well as one of the constituent states of Germany (), the office is the equivalent of the ministers president of t ...

at the

Swedish Embassy The Kingdom of Sweden has a moderately sized diplomatic network of 78 embassies and 7 consulates general, supplemented by honorary consulates, cultural centres and trade missions. In countries without Swedish representation, Swedish citizens can ...

in Berlin in 1966. The meetings were mediated by the Swedish consul general

Sven Backlund Sven Einar Backlund (31 May 1917 – 20 September 1997) was a Swedish diplomat. He was the ambassador of Sweden to Yugoslavia, European Economic Community and West Germany. He also served as the Permanent Representative of Sweden to the Council ...

. Media reports appeared in the west suggesting that he was a consummate actor, and his involvement in negotiating the four-power agreement over the future of Berlin which he personally signed on behalf of the Soviet Union 3 September 1971 left him far better known in

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

than the Soviet ambassador to West Germany. Abrasimov proved highly quotable, and attracted attention with protests against Willy Brandt's

Ostpolitik ''Neue Ostpolitik'' (German for "new eastern policy"), or ''Ostpolitik'' () for short, was the normalization of relations between the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG, or West Germany) and Eastern Europe, particularly the German Democratic Re ...

("No rose without the thorns" / ''"Keine Rose ohne Dornen"''). On 12 May 1971 the

Warsaw Pact The Warsaw Pact (WP), formally the Treaty of Friendship, Co-operation and Mutual Assistance (TFCMA), was a Collective security#Collective defense, collective defense treaty signed in Warsaw, Polish People's Republic, Poland, between the Sovi ...

War Council convened in

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 ...

, followed by a larger than usual series of summer military exercises by the alliance member states. Abrasimov was the only civilian to participate in these exercises. Later in 1971 he received a communication from

Leonid Brezhnev Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev (19 December 190610 November 1982) was a Soviet politician who served as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1964 until Death and state funeral of Leonid Brezhnev, his death in 1982 as w ...

who had scheduled a visit to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

later in the year. The

Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia On 20–21 August 1968, the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic was jointly invaded by four fellow Warsaw Pact countries: the Soviet Union, the Polish People's Republic, the People's Republic of Bulgaria, and the Hungarian People's Republic. The in ...

in 1968 was relatively fresh in the minds of the French political establishment, and Abrasimov was instructed to take over the Soviet ambassadorship there to prepare for the Brezhnev visit. He remained in Paris for two years after which 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 ...

and took a position as a department head with the Party Central Committee. In 1975 he was sent back to Berlin where he served a second stint as Soviet ambassador to the

, remaining in post this time till 1983. His years as ambassador were not without

East German East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from its formation on 7 October 1949 until its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on 3 October 1990. Until 1989, it was generally vie ...

tensions. During the early 1960s the Soviet leader,

was interested in exploring a less confrontational relationship with the west while the East German leader,

Walter Ulbricht Walter Ernst Paul Ulbricht (; ; 30 June 18931 August 1973) was a German communist politician. Ulbricht played a leading role in the creation of the Weimar republic, Weimar-era Communist Party of Germany (KPD) and later in the early development ...

, remained uncompromisingly hard-line in his attitude to the west in general and in his country's relationship with West Germany specifically. The decision suddenly to erect the

Berlin Wall The Berlin Wall (, ) was a guarded concrete Separation barrier, barrier that encircled West Berlin from 1961 to 1989, separating it from East Berlin and the East Germany, German Democratic Republic (GDR; East Germany). Construction of the B ...

in August 1961 was naturally taken by the East Germans in full consultation with the Soviet ambassador. From the East German perspective The Wall represented a necessary desperate attempt to save the state which appeared to be in the process of losing its entire working age population. With Abrasimov as Soviet ambassador in Berlin, Walter Ulbricht, who had earlier enjoyed close relations with Soviet leader

Josef Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Dzhugashvili; 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...

, found he enjoyed far less direct contact with the Soviet leadership in Moscow. In 1963/64, when Ulbricht moved to control air traffic flying into West Berlin, it was Abrasimov who prevented the move. He actively opposed East German reluctance to conclude a belated post

war War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...

peace treaty with West Germany, and in 1966 set up direct links with

, then the mayor of West Berlin, without telling the leadership of the East German ruling SED (party). Abrasimov also participated regularly in meetings of the East German cabinet, something which had never happened when

was the Soviet ambassador. The relationship between the Soviet ambassador and the East German leadership did not improve with the appointment of a new East German leader,

Erich Honecker Erich Ernst Paul Honecker (; 25 August 1912 – 29 May 1994) was a German communist politician who led the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) from 1971 until shortly before the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989. He held the post ...

, in 1971. During the 1980s Abrasimov's growing propensity to meet regularly with western ambassadors to Berlin without reference to his East German host government did not help matters. In 1983 he was seen to be becoming ever more paternalistic and autocratic in his ambassadorial office, and following the death of

at the end of 1982,

Honecker Erich Ernst Paul Honecker (; 25 August 1912 – 29 May 1994) was a German communist politician who led the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) from 1971 until shortly before the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989. He held the pos ...

managed to persuade Moscow to replace Abrasimov because of the extent of his "interference in East German domestic politics". During his time in East Germany, Abrasimov attended as a speaker at the commemoration ceremonies marking the liberation of the

Sachsenhausen concentration camp Sachsenhausen () or Sachsenhausen-Oranienburg was a German Nazi concentration camp in Oranienburg, Germany, used from 1936 until April 1945, shortly before the defeat of Nazi Germany in May later that year. It mainly held political prisoners t ...

at the National Memorial Site north of Berlin. Back in Moscow he served as chair of the National Committee for Foreign Tourism between 1983 and 1985. Between 1985 and 1986 he served, briefly, as the Soviet ambassador to

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

Awards and honours

''(not necessarily a complete list)'' *

Order of Lenin The Order of Lenin (, ) was an award named after Vladimir Lenin, the leader of the October Revolution. It was established by the Central Executive Committee on 6 April 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration bestowed by the Soviet ...

(twice) *

Order of the Red Banner The Order of the Red Banner () was the first Soviet military decoration. The Order was established on 16 September 1918, during the Russian Civil War by decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee. It was the highest award of S ...

Order of the October Revolution The Order of the October Revolution (, ''Orden Oktyabr'skoy Revolyutsii'') was instituted on 31 October 1967, in time for the 50th anniversary of the October Revolution. It was conferred upon individuals or groups for services furthering communis ...

Star of People's Friendship The Star of Peoples' Friendship (), Star of Nations' Friendship, was an order awarded by the German Democratic Republic (GDR). Established 20 August 1959, it was given to individuals of exceptional merit who had contributed to the "understandi ...

(East Germany) *

Order of the Red Banner of Labour The Order of the Red Banner of Labour () was an order of the Soviet Union established to honour great deeds and services to the Soviet state and society in the fields of production, science, culture, literature, the arts, education, sports ...

Order of the Patriotic War The Order of the Patriotic War () is a Soviet Union, Soviet military Order (decoration), decoration that was awarded to all soldiers in the Soviet armed forces, security troops, and to Partisan (military), partisans for heroic deeds in the Easte ...

Order of the Red Star The Order of the Red Star () was a military decoration of the Soviet Union. It was established by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of 6 April 1930 but its statute was only defined in decree of the Presidium of the ...

(twice) *

Order of Karl Marx The Order of Karl Marx () was the most important order in the German Democratic Republic (GDR). The award of the order also included a prize of 20,000 East German marks. The order was founded on May 5, 1953 on the occasion of Karl Marx's 135th ...

Order of the Cross of Grunwald The Order of the Cross of Grunwald (') was a military decoration created in Poland in November 1943 by the High Command of Gwardia Ludowa, a World War II Polish resistance movement organised by the Polish Workers Party. On 20 February 1944 it ...

(Poland) *

Honorary citizenship Honorary citizenship is a status bestowed by a city or other government on a foreign or native individual whom it considers to be especially admirable or otherwise worthy of the distinction. The honor usually is symbolic and does not confer an ...

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

Żyrardów Żyrardów is a town and former industrial hub in central Poland with approximately 41,400 inhabitants (2006). It is the capital of Żyrardów County in the Masovian Voivodeship, west of Warsaw. Etymology Żyrardów, initially a textile settleme ...

* Hero of East Germany

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abrasimov, Pyotr 1912 births 2009 deaths People from Syanno district People from Sennensky Uyezd Members of the Central Committee of the 22nd Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Members of the Central Committee of the 23rd Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Members of the Central Committee of the 24th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Members of the Central Committee of the 25th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Members of the Central Committee of the 26th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Third convocation members of the Soviet of Nationalities Fourth convocation members of the Soviet of Nationalities Sixth convocation members of the Soviet of the Union Ninth convocation members of the Soviet of Nationalities Members of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Byelorussia Members of the Supreme Soviet of the Byelorussian SSR (1955–1959) Members of the Supreme Soviet of the Byelorussian SSR (1959–1962) Members of the Supreme Soviet of the Byelorussian SSR (1962–1966) Ambassadors of the Soviet Union to Japan Ambassadors of the Soviet Union to Poland Ambassadors of the Soviet Union to East Germany Ambassadors of the Soviet Union to France People of the Soviet invasion of Poland Soviet military personnel of World War II Soviet partisans Belarusian partisans 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 Burials in Troyekurovskoye Cemetery