Russia’s diplomat Vitaly Churkin died on February 20, one day before his 65th birthday. Starting from April 2006 he was Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations in New York and Russia’s representative in the UN Security Council. Russian President Vladimir Putin has described Vitaly Churkin as one of the most prominent diplomats who brilliantly coped with his tasks and never suffered defeats. TASS remembers Vitaly Churkin in this photo gallery.