(This story corrects in sixth paragraph that Churkin was taken to a hospital from the Russian mission, not the Russian embassy.)

By Jack Stubbs

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia’s combative ambassador to the United Nations, Vitaly Churkin, died suddenly in New York on Monday after being taken ill at work, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

The ministry gave no details on the circumstances of his death but offered condolences to his relatives and said the diplomat had died one day before his 65th birthday.

It declined to comment on reports that Churkin had been taken to a hospital shortly before his death.

A U.S. government official, who was not authorized to speak publicly on the case, said that Churkin had died of an apparent heart attack.

A federal law enforcement official, also speaking on condition of anonymity, said that there appeared to be nothing unusual about the ambassador’s death.

The New York Post quoted unnamed sources as saying Churkin had been rushed to a Manhattan hospital from the Russian mission to the United Nations after falling ill with a cardiac condition.

President Vladimir Putin was deeply upset by the news and had greatly valued Churkin’s professionalism and diplomatic talent, Russian news agencies quoted the Kremlin as saying.

Tass news agency quoted Churkin’s deputy, Pyotr Ilyichev, as saying: “The loss sustained by Russia is grave and irreplaceable.

“Ambassador Churkin remained at his work post until the last minute. He devoted his whole life to defending the interests of Russia and was to be found on the very front lines and in the most stressful posts.”

Churkin was a pugnacious defender of Russian policy, notably its intensive bombing of the Syrian city of Aleppo last year to crush rebels opposed to President Bashar al-Assad.

MOTHER TERESA

When then-U.S. envoy to the United Nations, Samantha Power, accused Syria, Russia and Iran last year of bearing responsibility for atrocities there, Churkin said she was forgetting the United States’ own track record in the Middle East.

“The weirdest speech to me was the one by the U.S. representative who built her statement as if she is Mother Teresa herself. Please, remember which country you represent. Please, remember the track record of your country,” he said.

Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for the U.N. secretary-general’s office, on Monday said: “He has been such a regular presence here that I am actually quite stunned. Our thoughts go to his family, to his friends and to his government.”

FILE PHOTO - Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin addresses members of the U.N. Security Council during a meeting about the Ukraine situation, at the U.N. headquarters in New York, March 6, 2015. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/File Photo

Shortly after news of the ambassador’s death broke, a moment of silence was held at an informal session of the U.N. General Assembly. Later, the General Assembly’s president, Fiji Ambassador to the United Nations Peter Thomson, offered the world body’s “heartfelt condolences” and praised the late ambassador’s “stern resolution” before leading another silent tribute.

The Security Council issued a statement offering its “deep condolences to the family of the ambassador, the government and the people of the Russian Federation.”

Churkin’s diplomatic counterparts weighed in with their own encomiums.

“In my short time at the United Nations, Ambassador Vitaly Churkin showed himself to be a gracious colleague,” the U.S. ambassador to the world body, Nikki Haley, said in a statement.

“We did not always see things the same way, but he unquestionably advocated his country’s positions with great skill.”

British Ambassador Matthew Rycroft described Churkin on Twitter as “a diplomatic giant & wonderful character.”

Condolences poured in from his U.S. counterparts in the Obama administration. His occasional foe, former U.S. ambassador Power, described Churkin as a “diplomatic maestro and deeply caring man who did all he could to bridge US-RUS differences.”

Churkin first came to prominence as foreign ministry spokesman for the Soviet Union from 1990 until the collapse of the superpower the following year. Despite the pressure of events, he appeared to revel in the attention of the Western correspondents who mobbed him at briefings, and was happy to respond to them at length in fluent English.

He went on to serve as deputy Russian foreign minister and ambassador to Belgium and then to Canada, eventually moving to the United Nations in 2006.

FILE PHOTO - Russian ambassador to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin speaks during a news conference at the U.N. headquarters in New York September 2, 2015. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo

In his last interview, given to the state-funded Russia Today earlier this month, Churkin argued that the United Nations was ever more essential for resolving conflicts around the world.

“I think the U.N. continues to be an indispensable mechanism,” he said. “Without the U.N., we would be acting all on our own.”</s>"The weirdest speech to me was the one by the U.S. representative, who built her statement as if she is Mother Teresa herself. Please, remember which country you represent. Please, remember the track record of your country," he said.</s>Vitaly Churkin, Russia's permanent representative to the United Nations since 2006, died suddenly in New York City on Monday, a day shy of his 65th birthday.

Russia's Foreign Ministry has yet to release any details about how Churkin passed away.</s>Russian officials said Vitaly Churkin, its ambassador to the United Nations, died suddenly in New York City on Monday.

Russia's deputy U.N. ambassador, Vladimir Safronkov, told the Associated Press that the 64-year-old Churkin became ill in his office at Russia's U.N. mission and was taken to Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, where he died. His cause of death wasn't immediately known.

Churkin has been Russia's envoy at the United Nations for a little over a decade and was considered Moscow's great champion at the U.N.

He had a reputation for an acute wit and sharp repartee especially with his American and Western counterparts. . . .

He died Monday at age 64, one day before his 65th birthday.

Churkin suffered from cardiac arrest while at the Russian Mission on East 67th Street, a law enforcement official said. He was taken to New York's Presbyterian Hospital, where he died.

Churkin was known as a confident, combative, disarming and humorous fixture at the UN Security Council. . . He stood firm in supporting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime against Western attacks. And he cited US policy in Libya as a symbol of failure by Western countries who favored regime change.

Susan Rice, former US ambassador to the UN, said Churkin was "a formidable adversary, but always a friend."

Another former US ambassador, Samantha Power, said she was heartbroken by Churkin's death and credited him with trying to help Russian-US relations.

"Devastated by passing of UN ambassador Vitaly Churkin," Power tweeted. "Diplomatic maestro & deeply caring man who did all he could to bridge US-RUS differences." http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/20/europe/russia-un-ambassador-vitaly-churkin-dead/index.html</s>Vitaly Churkin, the tough-talking Russian ambassador to the United Nations, died suddenly Monday after falling ill at his country's consulate in New York City.

Churkin, 64, was working at his desk when he collapsed, the Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed. The ministry gave no other details.

"A prominent Russian diplomat has passed away while at work," the ministry said in a statement on its official website. "We'd like to express our sincere condolences to Vitaly Churkin's family."

The New York City Medical Examiner's Office confirmed it was investigating the death.

"Once we have had an opportunity to examine the decedent, we will share the cause and manner of death when it is available," spokeswoman Julie Bolcer said in a statement.

Born Feb. 21, 1952, in Moscow, Churkin died a day before his 65th birthday. And he was mourned by the diplomats with whom he had sparred.

Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, called Churkin "a gracious colleague."

"We did not always see things the same way, but he unquestionably advocated his country's positions with great skill," Haley said in a statement. "We send our prayers and heartfelt condolences to lift up his family and to the Russian people."

Former U.N. Ambassador Samantha Powers tweeted her condolences, calling him a "diplomatic maestro."

Churkin was a fierce defender of his country's policies, including Russia's invasion of Ukraine and its much-criticized bombing last year of the Syrian city of Aleppo to oust rebels opposed to President Bashar Al-Assad.

During the presidential election, Churkin raised eyebrows by lodging a complaint about a U.N. official's criticism of Donald Trump, The Associated Press reported.

It's not clear whether Trump was aware that Churkin rose to his defense, but the Senate and House Intelligence committees are both investigating possible Russian interference in the presidential election.

Churkin began his 42-year diplomatic career in 1974 when Russia was still the driving force of the Soviet Union, according to a U.N. biography.

Fluent in English and French, Churkin was a child actor who appeared in pair of Communist-era movies about V.I. Lenin before he set out to become a diplomat.

Before arriving in New York City, Churkin was ambassador-at-large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation from 2003 to 2006. He was his country's ambassador to Canada from 1998 to 2003 and to Belgium from 1994 to 1998.

Prior to that, Churkin was deputy foreign minister of the Russian Federation from 1992 to 1994. And before that, he headed the Information Department at the Foreign Ministry in the Soviet era.

Churkin made his first mark on the world stage in 1986, when, at age 34, he became the first Russian diplomat to testify before a U.S. congressional committee. He was questioned about the Chernobyl nuclear accident and asked to explain why Moscow waited for days before alerting its neighbors about the disaster.

It did not go well, as the Chicago Tribune reported in a story headlined "Soviet Envoy Does Dance For Congress."

"The world is appalled, Mr. Churkin, and they want to know why you didn't warn them," said Rep. Edward Markey, D- Massachusetts.

"We are certainly well aware of our responsibilities," Churkin replied. "We have been very forthcoming. It is my understanding that no harm was done — real harm — in those countries which are adjacent to the Soviet Union, to the people who live there."</s>Vitaly Churkin, the Russia's ambassador to the United Nations, died in New York City on Monday at 64, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced in a statement Monday.

"A prominent Russian diplomat has passed away while at work. We'd like to express our sincere condolences to Vitaly Churkin's family," the ministry said in the statement. They provided no further details of the circumstances surrounding his death.

The Russia embassy in the United States called his passing a "[t]remendous loss for Russian diplomacy" in a tweet Monday.

Vitaly was born in Moscow in 1952 and has served as Russia's representative to the U.N. since 2006. Vitaly previously served as an ambassador to Belgium and Canada, as well as a liaison to NATO.</s>Russia's permanent representative to the United Nations, Vitaly Churkin, has died suddenly in New York on 20 February, a day before his 65th birthday. The Russian Foreign Ministry released a brief statement on his death. The cause of his death is still not known.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated regularly as new information and developments become available.

IBTimes UK is a news organisation that keeps its global audience of 55 million monthly readers in the know with quality storytelling and analysis of global relevance. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter where we will keep you up to date with the latest news, pictures and video as it happens. We provide comprehensive coverage of domestic and foreign news, business, sport, entertainment, science and technology, aiming to keep our intellectually curious readers interested and engaged.</s>Vitaly Churkin, who served as Russia's permanent representative to the United Nations since 2006, "died suddenly" in New York, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced.Churkin would have turned 65 on Tuesday.The announcement "of the untimely passing away of Ambassador Vitaly Churkin this morning" was met with shock when it was delivered during a session at the UN headquarters."He was a dear colleague of all of us, a deeply committed diplomat of his country and one of the finest people we have known," a UN official who delivered the news to her colleagues said.The moment of silence in Churkin's memory was announced at the UN."He was an outstanding person. He was brilliant, bright, a great diplomat of our age," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told RT, adding that the news of Churkin's death was "completely shocking."President Putin has expressed his condolences to Churkin's family and to all Russian diplomats.Churkin fell ill in his office at Russia's UN mission and was taken to Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, where he died Monday, AP reported, citing Russia's deputy UN ambassador, Vladimir Safronkov. The, the agency reported."He has been such a regular presence here that I am actually quite stunned. Our thoughts go to his family, to his friends and to his government," Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for the UN secretary-general's office said, as quoted by Reuters."He was a strong-willed, resolute, and dutiful person, who was admired by his colleagues and envied by his enemies," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told RT.Ryabkov said, adding that Churkin's death is "a great loss not only for diplomacy, but for the country in general."The profession of a diplomat "has become much more hectic than it used to be in the past," Churkin said earlier this month in an interview with RT, which was one of his last. "It is stressful," he said."Unfortunately, the world has not become more stable than it used to be," Churkin told RT's Aleksey Yaroshevsky.Before he was appointed to represent Russia at the UN in May 2006, the diplomat served as ambassador to Belgium, ambassador to Canada, and liaison ambassador to NATO and the Western European Union (WEU).In the 2000s he was ambassador at large at Russia's Foreign Ministry, while in the early 1990s he served as the special representative of the Russian president to the talks on the former Yugoslavia.</s>UNITED NATIONS, Feb 20 (APP): Russia’s ambassador to the United

 Nations Vitaly Churkin died in New York on Monday at the age of 64, just a day before his 65th birthday.

 Churkin, rated as one of the outstanding diplomats at the United Nations, was rushed to a Manhattan hospital Monday morning after suffering heart problems, according to informed sources.

 The diplomat was at the Russian Mission to the UN when he became sick with a “cardiac condition” around 9:30 a.m. (7:30 PM PST), they said. He was unconscious and needed CPR when he was brought to New York Presbyterian Hospital, but despite doctors’ efforts he could not survive.

 The 64-year-old diplomat has served as Russia’s permanent representative to the UN since 2006.

 Russia’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Yevgeniy Zagaynov said about Churkin that he kept working “till the very end.”

 Expressing sorrow over Churkin’s passing away, Pakistan UN Ambassador Maleeha Lodhi called him a “great diplomat and colleague”.

 “His loss will be felt by the UN family as he was an extraordinary

 diplomat who served his country with distinction and worked with his colleagues in a friendly and cooperative way.”

 United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Gutteres’ Deputy Spokesman

 Farhan Haq said that the UN was shocked by the news, extending their condolences to Moscow.

 Matthew Rycroft, the British ambassador to the UN, called Churkin’s deah the loss of a “diplomatic giant.”

 Vitaly Ivanovich Churkin was a Russian diplomat. Ambassador Churkin

 served as Russia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations since 2006. Before that, he was Ambassador at Large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation (2003-2006), Ambassador to Canada (1998-2003), Ambassador to Belgium and Liaison Ambassador to NATO and WEU (1994-1998), Deputy Foreign Minister and Special

 Representative of the President of the Russian Federation to the talks on Former Yugoslavia (1992-1994), Director of the Information Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the USSR/Russian Federation (1990-1992).

 Vitaly Churkin held a Ph.D. in history and was a graduate of the Moscow

 State Institute of International Relations.</s>NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) —Russian officials say its ambassador to the United Nations has died suddenly in New York City. Vitaly Churkin was 64.

Russia’s deputy U.N. ambassador, Vladimir Safronkov, told The Associated Press that Churkin became ill in his office at Russia’s U.N. mission and was taken to Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, where he died Monday. His cause of death wasn’t immediately known.

Churkin has been Russia’s envoy at the United Nations for a little over a decade and was considered Moscow’s great champion at the U.N.

“Tremendous loss for Russian diplomacy,” the Russian Embassy in the United States tweeted Monday.

He had a reputation for an acute wit and sharp repartee especially with his American and Western counterparts. He was previously ambassador at large and earlier served as the foreign ministry spokesman.
Russia's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin dies suddenly in New York City. He would have turned 65 on Tuesday.