Sergey Lavrov, Russia’s Foreign Minister, is well known for his habit of lying in the most blatant way possible. Recently, he claimed that no chemical weapons have been used in Syria since 2013, despite the fact that chemical weapons have been used extensively throughout the country’s civil war. He also denied that Russian troops were present in Ukraine in 2014, despite clear proof from NATO and other sources to the contrary.
Give me the gist
Lavrov is a Russian politician and diplomat. He has been Russia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs since 2004, as well as holding other cabinet posts before that. His role in pushing for Russia’s meddling in Ukraine, however, has garnered him notoriety among western countries. But while he did play a role in Russia’s aggression towards Ukraine and its annexation of Crimea, there is more to Lavrov than meets the eye. The following biography will look at his early life, his rise to power, and how he has navigated some major geopolitical issues over his long career.
On March 21, 1950, Sergey Viktorovich Lavrov was born in Moscow. He studied law at Moscow State University (MGU), graduating with honors in 1972. Following graduation, he worked as an aide to MGU professor Mikhail Kotovskiy until 1975 when he became a member of the International Law Department at MGU’s Institute of State and Law. He joined the Soviet diplomatic service in 1977 and served as press secretary for the USSR embassy in Canada from 1978-1982. In 1983, he returned to Moscow where he served as Deputy Director of his alma mater’s International Law Department before moving on to become First Secretary of the Soviet Embassy in Washington D.C., the USA from 1985-1989.
How do you know so much about him?
As Russia’s foreign minister, he spends a lot of time at international gatherings and conferences, where his colleagues tend to ask him questions about current affairs. As such, he is frequently required to comment on global political situations; however, much like Donald Trump’s tweets, most are outright lies or statements taken out of context from previous interviews.
In other words, if you want to know what Sergei Lavrov thinks about something, just read what he said before or after-and it will likely be completely different. This has made him one of Russia’s most ridiculed politicians (as well as one of its more popular ones), but also one who can never seem to go more than a few weeks without making headlines for all the wrong reasons.
Whom does he work for?
Sergey Lavrov is Russia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs. This puts him in charge of the country’s diplomacy and foreign policy. He is a member of President Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party, which has dominated Russian politics since Putin came to power in 2000. He was appointed Foreign Minister by President Putin on 31 March 2004, succeeding Igor Ivanov who had been in office since January 1998. Before that, he served as Deputy Prime Minister for Foreign Affairs from December 1999. In addition to his native Russian, he speaks English and French fluently.
How does this help us fight Russia?
It’s clear to everyone that Russia is an enemy. It’s only up to us to decide what we can do. One of our biggest problems is that Americans just don’t care enough about these issues, but they should. The simple fact is that every day, people are being harmed by Russian intervention in Ukraine, Syria and Georgia. Some people have decided that it’s time for something drastic and have decided to go after Moscow on its own soil. This includes fighting against lies spread by Russian officials like Sergey Lavrov. By exposing his lies, we show Russians that their government is lying to them and force them to make a choice between their loyalty to Putin or their loyalty to the truth and their country.
What happens next?
We can not trust Russia, President Obama said in September 2013. This is something that Putin has been consistent on over his entire career…we have to think about what are our core interests and then ask ourselves how we’re going to win back territory, if you will, in hearts and minds around the world, when it comes to Russia’s behavior. And I think that’s a conversation he needs to have with his team and Russians need to have with him. The US sanctions Russia for its annexation of Crimea and crimes in Ukraine but does nothing more than slap Moscow on the wrist.
This article has been originally published on Departement1.com and anews.se by the same author: Tommy Olovsson
