The mystery of the origin of Sergei Lavrov
It is known exactly how old Sergei Lavrov is; on March 21, 2020, he turned 68. But information about other facts in the biography of Lavrov, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, is contradictory; in particular, there are different versions of where he was born and who his parents are.
Most sources call Sergei Viktorovich’s hometown Moscow, but in some places they claim that the future minister was born in Tbilisi, like his father, who belongs to the Armenian diaspora in Georgia. In the media you can find Armenian and Russified versions of the father’s surname: Kalantaryan or Kalantarov.
Lavrov and Lukashenko
As for the surname Lavrov, according to some sources, this is the maiden name of the mother, according to others, the stepfather, who, after Kaleria Borisovna’s divorce from her first husband, raised Sergei.
In all questionnaires, Lavrov indicates his mother’s nationality – Russian.
Sergei's childhood and school years were spent in his mother's hometown - Noginsk, and then in the capital. Kaleria Borisovna was an employee of Vneshtorg; there is information that either his father or stepfather worked there.
Lavrov on vacation
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The minister himself, recalling his childhood, says that his parents never used physical punishment on him, but they could severely reprimand him for his offense, although they did not skimp on well-deserved praise.
Who is she, Lavrov’s wife?
She has a pedagogical education, although she never had to work as a teacher. When Maria Alexandrovna married Sergei Viktorovich, he was studying and finishing his third year at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, she was also a university student, and after receiving higher education, Maria, as the wife of a diplomat, did not have the opportunity to work in her specialty, and she devoted herself to husband and family.
In the photo - the family of Sergei Lavrov
Maria Alexandrovna is a modest, intelligent person who prefers to appear in public as little as possible, and when necessary, she always tries to be close to her husband. She dresses stylishly, but restrainedly, which indicates the good taste of Sergei Viktorovich’s wife. Friends and relatives say that Maria Alexandrovna is a very intelligent, well-mannered person with a sense of tact, supporting her husband in everything and providing him with a reliable rear.
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Education
Lavrov’s biography could have turned out completely differently, because after school he planned to enter MEPhI, and could well have become famous as a physicist, and not as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia. Although Sergei graduated from a special school where special attention was paid to learning English, he loved physics and mathematics no less.
Minister at negotiations in Arab countries
The young man’s fate was decided by the fact that MGIMO held entrance exams earlier than other universities. When the silver medalist found out that he had qualified for the eastern department, he abandoned the idea of devoting his life to the study of physics. Parents also considered a diplomatic career more promising.
As a student, he traveled half the country with construction teams. By the time of graduation, he mastered French and Sinhala.
It was the latter circumstance that played an important role in sending the graduate first for an internship and then for work in Sri Lanka.
Childhood and youth
Sergei Viktorovich was born on March 21, 1950 in Moscow. The father is a Tbilisi Armenian who, according to a number of sources, bore the surname Kalantaryan, or Kalantarov. However, the website of the Russian Foreign Ministry says that the diplomat is Russian by nationality.
Parents worked in foreign trade. This fact probably influenced the further biography of Lavrov, who heard plenty of fascinating stories about trips across countries and continents.
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Sergei Lavrov in his youth
The future head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs graduated with a silver medal from the Korolenko specialized school with in-depth study of the English language and submitted documents to MGIMO and MEPhI. In the first, entrance exams began earlier, and the young man fulfilled his parents’ dream by becoming a student at the Oriental Faculty.
In his youth, Sergei, as now, was the life of the party, composed songs, even became the author of the university anthem, and played the guitar. With a student construction team, he visited the Far East, Yakutia, Tuva, and Khakassia.
After graduating from the educational institution, Lavrov, in addition to English, spoke French and Senegalese and immediately entered service at the USSR Embassy in Sri Lanka.
Work at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Here Sergei Lavrov received the position of attaché, which became the first step in his work history. Since 1976 he worked in the Department of International Economic Organizations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as 3rd, then 2nd secretary. From the early 80s he represented the Soviet Union at the UN and lived with his family in New York.
Sergei Lavrov and John Kerry
At 88 he took the position of deputy in the Department of International Economic Organizations, which he eventually headed. In 1992, he moved to a leadership position in another department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs - international organizations and global problems, and in April of the same year he rose to deputy minister.
Before and after his appointment to a ministerial post in 2004, Sergei Viktorovich oversaw the activities of a number of departments and commissions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
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For 10 years he was the Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation in the UN Security Council, in whose history he went down as “Mr. No” for numerous vetoes imposed on his initiative.
Diplomat at the summit
After his appointment as head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on March 9, 2004, he was re-elected three times. Despite changes in government, he still holds this post today.
Raising children and caring for her husband (Sergei Lavrov)
The children of Sergei Lavrov are his only daughter. It is unknown why he had no more children. Today he has an adult daughter who has already begun to lead her own independent life.
Children of Sergei Lavrov photo
She turned out to be a worthy heir to her hardworking and brilliant father; from her youth she got used to the fact that she needed to work on herself, develop and strive for something higher than what ordinary life offers. Therefore, after school, she studied at Columbia University, where she showed good results.
During Lavrov's diplomatic service in the United States, his daughter Ekaterina was born in New York. She received her education in the USA, graduating from Columbia University, where she studied political science. Ekaterina received her master's degree in England, already in the field of Economics.
While on a diplomatic mission in the United States, the couple had a daughter. The girl was named Ekaterina. She received her education there, in the USA, graduating from school in Manhattan and later studying at Columbia University.
Today Ekaterina lives in Moscow. He talks to the press quite willingly. He is the head of a company that sells works of art.
Catherine always noted the fact that the mentality of foreigners was alien to her, so there was no question of choosing a country where to live and work.
The daughter of Sergei Lavrov sees her calling in helping Russian artists find their worldwide recognition.
In 2010, the Lavrovs became grandparents; Ekaterina gave birth to a son, who was named Leonid.
Scandals
Russians consider Lavrov one of the most effective ministers in the state; according to the results of public opinion polls, he has repeatedly been among the top three. It seems that the scandals surrounding the minister’s name only add to his popularity:
- When Lavrov spoke on the phone with David Miliband about the situation in South Ossetia in 2008, an obscene curse slipped through his impeccable English. Later, Sergei Viktorovich explained that he himself did not swear, but only quoted the statement of one colleague addressed to Mikheil Saakashvili;
Sometimes a diplomat gives vent to emotions
- But the journalists who at the press conference of Lavrov and his colleagues from Saudi Arabia allowed themselves to interrupt the minister were personally attacked by him with a strong word, calling them morons. The phrase that broke out in the hearts was heard throughout the world, since the scandalous video was immediately posted on the Internet;
- in Dublin he refused to pay a fine for smoking, walked around the UN headquarters with an ashtray when they were removed from everywhere, defended his right to smoke in disputes with the Secretary General;
- On an official visit to Mongolia, the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry came dressed not according to protocol. He was photographed wearing jeans; in the news, this story was accompanied by critical statements about the Russian diplomat;
- Lavrov was repeatedly reproached for being overly harsh in his interactions with the ladies who held the post of US Secretary of State. However, knowledgeable people claim that this style of communication is not rudeness, but a thoughtful political move.
Minister with colleagues
Personal life
Sergei Lavrov sometimes does not behave quite diplomatically in his professional field, but in his personal life he does not give rise to gossip and scandals. The minister is an exemplary family man. He met his first and only wife during his student years and married in his 3rd year.
Maria Alexandrovna, who was educated as a Russian teacher, accompanied her husband on all foreign trips and worked as a librarian at the UN mission.
A rare shot of the Lavrov family. Wife and daughter
The New York period of his career was marked by the birth of the couple's daughter Katya. Sometimes Lavrov is accused of lack of patriotism, since his daughter was educated abroad. But Ekaterina Lavrova was born and raised in America, went to an American school, so entering Columbia University was an absolutely logical step.
Ekaterina Sergeevna first studied to be a political scientist, then received an economic education, like her husband. Now Katya lives in Moscow with her husband and children.
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There are no photographs of Sergei Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs, surrounded by all family members on the Internet; only photographs from official meetings are published in open sources.
Sergei Lavrov and Ekaterina Vinokurova
It is known that at the age of 60 Sergei Viktorovich became a grandfather, his grandson Leonid was born, and now his granddaughter is growing up.
Media about Maria Alexandrovna Lavrova
Little is written or spoken about the wife of the Minister of Foreign Affairs; basically all the information is in one way or another connected with the activities of her husband. However, some interesting facts were found from the declaration of property of the minister’s wife for 2020, such as: a residential (country) house, jointly owned, with a total area of 499 sq.m., a Kia Ceed passenger car, a garage of 15.7 sq.m. m.
However, exactly the same property is indicated in the declaration of Sergei Viktorovich himself, so we can conclude that all of the above-mentioned property was registered jointly.
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Interesting Facts
In the rich biography of Sergei Lavrov, there was always time not only for work, but also for family, as well as for hobbies:
- Lavrov has been playing the guitar since his youth and writes songs himself; he is the author of the MGIMO anthem;
- The diplomat also has sports hobbies - football, rafting. The minister is a fan of Spartak, in 2006 he created and headed the Russian Rowing Slalom Federation;
Sergei Lavrov before river rafting
- less healthy addictions - smoking, Scotch whiskey, Italian cuisine. At one time, the diplomat even managed to get Madeleine Albright to allow smoking in her residence.
Sergei Viktorovich has headed the Russian Foreign Ministry for 14 years. Andrei Gromyko, who held a similar position in the USSR, held it twice as long. So there is someone to look up to.
Sergey Lavrov and Vasily Churkin
Lavrov himself pays tribute to Gromyko’s merits, but considers Alexander Gorchakov, who headed the Foreign Ministry of the Russian Empire in the second half of the 19th century, to be a role model. Gorchakov managed to restore Russia’s authority, which had been shaken after the Crimean War, using diplomatic methods.
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Photo of Sergei Lavrov before and after plastic surgery
Since Sergei Lavrov is constantly in the public eye, he needs to look good. He does it well, so the question arises: does the famous politician use plastic surgery services? There are photos of Sergei Lavrov before and after plastic surgery on the Internet, but are they true? Sergei himself somehow avoids this topic, showing with all his appearance that it is not interesting to him.
It is difficult to say whether the politician is doing braces. On the one hand, he looks good, but on the other hand, he doesn’t look too young, because he is already about seventy years old. Most likely, Lavrov does not use plastic surgery, believing that appearance plays not the first role in achieving the goal. He prefers to win with his charisma and erudition, and he does it amazingly. Those who are interested in the issue of Lavrov’s plastic surgery can only guess whether he went under the knife or not.
