Vladimir Semyonovich Semyonov (; 16 February 1911, Krasnoslobodskoye – 18 December 1992,

Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...

) 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 ...

diplomat A diplomat (from ; romanization, romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, nongovernmental institution to conduct diplomacy with one ...

most notable for his military administration in Eastern Germany during the Soviet occupation after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. He was instrumental in the creation of the GDR, and served as the first Soviet

ambassador 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 ...

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 ...

Career as Soviet diplomat

* 1939 – employee of 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 ...

(MID) * 1939–1940 – advisor of Soviet Plenipotentiary Representation in

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

* 1940–1941 – counsellor of the Soviet Embassy in

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

* 1941–1942 – executive of the Third European Department of the MID * 1942–1945 – counsellor of the Soviet Mission in Sweden * 1945–1946 – deputy to Political Counsellor of the Soviet Military Administration in Germany * 1946–1949 – Political Counsellor of the Soviet Military Administration in Germany * 1949–1953 – Political Counsellor of the Soviet Control Committee in Germany * 1953 – Senior Executive, Deputy Chief, Chief of the Third European Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, member of Ministry Board of the MID. * 1953–1954 – Chief Commissar of USSR in Germany and an ambassador to the GDR; * 1954–1955 – Executive of the Third European Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs * 1955–1978 – Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs * 1968–1978 – Chief of the Soviet delegation at the Soviet-American negotiations on reduction of strategic weapons in Helsinki, Vienna, Geneva. Prepared the 1973 SALT-1 and 1978 SALT-2 Treaties for signing by General Secretaries

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 ...

and Presidents

Gerald Ford Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. (born Leslie Lynch King Jr.; July 14, 1913December 26, 2006) was the 38th president of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, Ford assumed the p ...

and

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...

. * 1978–1986 – Ambassador to

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 ...

* 1986–1991 – Foreign Ministry Ambassador at Large, Counsellor to the Foreign Minister

Awards and honors

* Three Orders of the Red Banner of Labour (3 November 1944, 15 February 1961, 27 December 1977) *

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 ...

, 1st class (5 November 1945) * Three

Orders 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 ...

(24 June 1948, 31 December 1966, 16 February 1981) *

Order of the Badge of Honour The Order of the Badge of Honour () was a civilian award of the Soviet Union. It was established on 25 November 1935, and was conferred on citizens of the USSR for outstanding achievements in sports, production, scientific research and socia ...

(30 October 1954) *

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 ...

(16 February 1971) *

Order of Friendship of Peoples The Order of Friendship of Peoples () was an order of the Soviet Union, and was awarded to persons (including non-citizens), organizations, enterprises, military units, as well as administrative subdivisions of the USSR for accomplishments in s ...

(14 February 1986)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Semyonov, Vladimir 1911 births 1992 deaths People from Kirsanovsky Uyezd Moscow State University alumni Members of the Central Auditing Commission of the 19th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Members of the Central Auditing Commission of the 20th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Members of the Central Auditing Commission of the 22nd Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Candidates of the Central Committee of the 23rd Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Candidates of the Central Committee of the 24th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Candidates of the Central Committee of the 25th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Candidates of the Central Committee of the 26th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary (Soviet Union) Ambassadors of the Soviet Union to East Germany Ambassadors of the Soviet Union to West Germany Deputy ministers of foreign affairs of the Soviet Union Recipients of the Order of the Badge of Honour Recipients of the Order of Friendship of Peoples Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order of the October Revolution Recipients of the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st class Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour Deaths from pneumonia in Germany Burials at Kuntsevo Cemetery