MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Maria Zakharova, deputy director of the Russian Foreign Ministry's information and press department, has been appointed its new spokeswoman, the ministry announced Monday.
Zakharova, who has worked in the ministry since 1998, will be the first woman to hold this post, replacing spokesman Alexander Lukashevich.
Lukashevich was appointed Russia's permanent representative to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe earlier in August.