UN Secretary-General Places Russian Diplomat in Charge of Global Mine Clearance Unit

UN Secretary-General António Guterres announced on October 28 that Gleb Desyatnikov will serve as the next Assistant Secretary-General for Mine Action and Police. The selection places a Russian national in command of a key division within the Department of Peace Operations. This office directs the coordination of global mine removal efforts and manages police contingents deployed in international peacekeeping missions.

Desyatnikov brings more than 35 years of experience to the post. His career has included government positions, multilateral diplomacy, and assignments in conflict zones. The UN noted his background in international relations and security issues as primary qualifications for the role.

The diplomat has represented Russia in Jordan since 2018. Before that assignment, he led the Middle East and North Africa Department at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 2010 to 2018. From 2004 to 2010, he worked as a senior adviser on Middle East and North Africa affairs at the Russian Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York. Earlier in his career, from 1994 to 1997, he was seconded to the UN Special Commission on Iraq.

Desyatnikov graduated from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations. He speaks both English and Arabic, languages that supported his long focus on the Middle East and North Africa.

This appointment follows a similar decision in April 2017. Guterres named Alexandre Zouev, also a Russian representative, as Assistant Secretary-General for Rule of Law and Security Institutions. Zouev’s portfolio included oversight of UN peacekeeping police, justice reform, prison systems, and the UN Mine Action Service. The current move has drawn attention to the presence of Russian officials in sensitive security roles within the UN.

The timing aligns with heightened geopolitical tensions. In March 2022, the UN General Assembly voted to condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine, calling for the immediate withdrawal of Russian troops. During that period, Ukrainian diplomats urged the UN Secretariat to remove Russian citizens from senior and security-related positions.

Further diplomatic complications emerged in March 2023. The International Criminal Court in The Hague issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin regarding the deportation of Ukrainian children. That same month, a UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry released a report documenting evidence of widespread torture, executions, and sexual violence by Russian forces in Ukraine.

Mine action remains a critical issue for Ukraine. In April 2024, UN bodies and the Ukrainian government stated that Ukraine had become the most heavily mined country in the world. More than 156,000 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory require surveying and clearance of mines and unexploded ordnance due to actions by the Russian military. Desyatnikov’s new role will involve overseeing the global coordination of these clearance and police operations.