Russian UN ambassador died of heart attack
Russia's ambassador to the United Nations died from a heart attack, and no foul play was suspected, according to a senior New York city official briefed by the medical examiner's office.
The official was not authorised to reveal the cause of death for Ambassador Vitaly Churkin, and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, after the New York medical examiner's office was instructed not to publicly release the cause of death.
An autopsy was performed on Churkin last month, but the death required further study.
The State Department asked the city in writing on February 24 to not reveal the autopsy results, because Churkin's diplomatic immunity survives his death.
In a follow-up letter on March 1, the State Department noted that the Russian Federation raised concerns after the autopsy had been conducted, and "voluntary statements reported in the media about Ambassador Churkin's medical history" prompted complaints from Russian diplomats.
"The information reported was very private in nature and included information about which even they had no knowledge," Donovan wrote in the follow-up letter to New York Mayor Bill de Blasio's international affairs office.
A spokesman for Russia's UN Mission said: "We regard the decision of the New York City Law Department as the one that fully complies with the principles of inviolability of private life and diplomatic immunity."
Thurkin, who died on February 20 at a hospital at age 64, had been Russia's envoy at the UN since 2006.
He was the longest-serving ambassador on the Security Council.
He was buried in Moscow, where he was praised by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov as an "exceptional professional and people's diplomat".
