Russia's Jordan Ambassador to Direct UN Mine Clearance Unit
The appointment puts a senior diplomat in charge of global landmine removal and peacekeeping police, a role that gained urgency after Ukraine was designated the world's most heavily mined nation.
By Andrew Kovalenko ·
Gleb Desyatnikov, the Russian ambassador to Jordan, will take command of the United Nations unit responsible for removing landmines and managing police forces in conflict zones. UN Secretary-General António Guterres announced the move, placing Desyatnikov in the role of Assistant Secretary-General for Mine Action and Police.
The post sits within the Department of Peace Operations. It carries direct authority over the coordination of global mine action activities. It also oversees the police contingents deployed to UN peacekeeping missions around the world. For the more than 156,000 square kilometers of Ukrainian land requiring clearance, this decision determines the senior leadership guiding those efforts.
Desyatnikov has served as Russia’s ambassador to Jordan since 2018. Before that role, he spent eight years as deputy director of the Middle East and North Africa Department at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. His career in multilateral diplomacy dates back to 1994, when he joined the UN Special Commission on Iraq. He later worked as a senior adviser at the Russian Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York.
Guterres’s office described Desyatnikov as a veteran official with over 35 years of experience. The statement cited his background in political affairs and security issues as the basis for the selection. He is a graduate of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations and speaks both English and Arabic.
This is not the first time a Russian diplomat has received a senior security portfolio. In April 2017, Guterres appointed Alexandre Zouev to lead the Rule of Law and Security Institutions division. That role included oversight of the UN Mine Action Service. The current appointment places a second senior Russian figure in charge of functions related to peacekeeping police and landmine clearance.
The timing of the decision follows a period of heightened diplomatic friction. In March 2022, the UN General Assembly voted to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The resolution demanded the immediate withdrawal of Russian troops. Ukrainian diplomats at the time asked the UN Secretariat to remove Russian nationals from senior and security-related positions.
Tensions intensified in March 2023 when the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin. The warrant related to the alleged unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children. That same month, a UN commission released a report documenting torture, civilian executions, and sexual violence by Russian forces in Ukraine.
Russian military and private military companies have also influenced the exit of UN missions from parts of Africa. These entities have supported military juntas in countries like Mali and the Central African Republic. Human rights groups have linked these groups to mass killings of civilians in the region. Desyatnikov’s new duties will involve coordinating the global response to these complex security environments.
