Lynne Tracy, the U.S. ambassador to Russia, is departing Moscow, the U.S. Embassy said in a statement.
“Ambassador Tracy’s commitment to dialogue, even in difficult times, is an example of true diplomatic leadership,” the message said in Russian.
Tracy expressed hope that her colleagues at the embassy would continue working to “improve relations and maintain ties with the Russian people.”
“I was inspired by the Russians I met who love their country and are committed to building a better future every day,” she wrote. “I’d like to close with a few lines from Pushkin’s poem To Chaadaev, which speak to the love of homeland that lives within each of us.”
She shared the following excerpt:
While still we burn with freedom’s flame,
While honor stirs our hearts,
My friend, let us devote to our homeland
The soul’s most noble impulses!
Tracy had served as ambassador to Russia since January 2023, succeeding John Sullivan. She was the first woman to hold the post. Before that, she was U.S. ambassador to Armenia and, from 2014 to 2017, deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow. She also held diplomatic postings in Kazakhstan, Pakistan, and Turkmenistan.
During her tenure in Russia, Tracy expressed support for the country’s political opposition. After the death of Alexey Navalny in prison, she laid flowers at the Solovetsky Stone in central Moscow.