I worked 24 hours a day, despite my chronic illness."
Diplomats, colleagues and relatives cheered Russia's ambassador to the United States, Alexander Darchiev, on his last journey. The farewell ceremony took place in the hall of the Central Hospital No. 1 of the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation in Moscow.
Among the participants in the mourning event were Presidential Assistant Yuri Ushkov, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, Alexander Penkin, Georgiy Borisenko, Dmitry Lyubinsky and the department's official representative Maria Zakharova.
"As many times as I saw him, he never succumbed to this disease. He always fulfilled his duties and his duty with honor. It was a real service," Zakharova said in an interview with reporters.