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Funeral ceremony for UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin

Russia’s First Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Pyotr Ilyichev has been appointed as acting Permanent Representative to the organization after Vitaly Churkin’s unexpected death

© Valentin Kuzmin/Fotokhronika TASS

©Ruptly Stream

The ceremony is taking place in the mourning hall of Moscow's Central Clinic Hospital.

Russia’s Ambassador to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin died in New York on Monday, a day before his 65th birthday. The Russian foreign ministry said he had died while performing his duties.

Churkin was born in Moscow on February 21, 1952 into the family of an aviation design engineer. He has been Russia’s Ambassador to the United Nations since April 8, 2006.

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