Ukrainian envoy dies in Armenian lake

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YEREVAN — Ukraine’s acting ambassador to Armenia has died while serving in the country, Kyiv’s foreign ministry confirmed Monday.

In a statement, the ministry said it was “deeply saddened” to announce the death of chargé d’affaires Oleksandr Senchenko in “tragic” circumstances in the South Caucasus country. Officials expressed “their deepest condolences to the family and friends of the deceased in connection with this irreparable loss.”

On Sunday, Armenia’s national rescue service reported that lifeguards operating at Lake Sevan, a popular tourist destination just outside Yerevan, had lost visual contact with a swimmer around 25 meters from the shore. The man was recovered from the water but was later pronounced dead by an ambulance crew. Both Radio Free Europe and Russian state news service TASS had previously identified the swimmer as Senchenko.

Senchenko had previously held diplomatic postings in Russia and neighboring Azerbaijan, before becoming Ukraine’s top-ranking envoy in Armenia.

The Ukrainian Embassy in Yerevan could not be immediately reached for comment, while Armenia’s foreign ministry declined to comment publicly on the case.