Putin appoints new Russian ambassador to US
A career Russian diplomat, who gained the reputation of a hawk during his earlier tenure at the Defense Ministry, was named the new ambassador to the United States on Friday.
The 62-year old Anatoly Antonov was appointed to the job by President Vladimir Putin's order, according to the Kremlin.
Antonov takes the job at a time when US-Russia relations are badly strained following the approval of a new wave of US sanctions against Moscow and the Kremlin's decision to sharply cut the US diplomatic personnel in Russia.
