Russian ambassador to Egypt dies in Cairo hospital

Russia's ambassador to Egypt died suddenly on Monday in a Cairo hospital, the Russian embassy in Cairo said on its social media accounts. The embassy did not specify the cause of Sergey Kirpichenko's death.

A career diplomat who had served as ambassador to Egypt since 2011, the 68-year-old had also represented Moscow in Libya, Syria and the United Arab Emirates. Egypt's foreign ministry issued a brief statement expressing its condolences.

Cairo and Moscow have bolstered their strategic and economic ties in recent years under presidents Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Vladimir Putin.