Posuvaluk dies at 59

Russia's main envoy to the Middle East, Victor Posuvaluk, died early Sunday in Moscow at 59, the Russian News Agency reported. Posuvaluk, who was the deputy foreign minister, died following a long illness, the Itar-Tass news agency said.

The agency added that as an expert in the Middle East affairs, Posuvaluk joined the Russian diplomatic corps in 1964. He served in Arab embassies in Yemen, Iraq, and Syria before he became Russia's ambassador to