View source for Consulate General of Russia, Houston

{{Short description|Diplomatic mission}}
{{Infobox Diplomatic Mission
  | name = Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Houston<br /><small>Генеральное консульство Российской Федерации в Хьюстоне</small>
  | image = ParkTowersSouthHoustonTexas.JPG
  | address = 1333 West Loop South<br>Suite 1300<br>Houston, TX 77027
  | location = [[Houston, Texas|Houston]]
  | coordinates = {{coord|29.7550|-95.4547|type:landmark_region:US-TX|display=inline,title}}
  | consul_general = Aleksei G. Markov <ref name="generalconsul">{{cite web|url=https://rusconhouston.mid.ru/en/general-consulate/general-consul/ |title=Consul General’s Biography |publisher=Russian Government|access-date=June 9, 2025}}</ref>
  | opened = August 4, 2004
  | website = {{URL|https://rusconhouston.mid.ru/en/|rusconhouston.mid.ru}}
}}
The '''Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Houston''' ({{langx|ru|Генеральное консульство Российской Федерации в Хьюстоне}}) (''General'noe konsul'stvo Rossiyskoy Federatsii v Kh'yustone'') is [[Diplomatic missions of Russia|Russia's diplomatic office]] in [[Houston, Texas]], United States. It is located in Suite 1300 at [[Park Towers (Houston)|Park Towers South]].

The facility serves [[Arizona]], [[Alabama]], [[Arkansas]], [[Colorado]], [[Iowa]], [[Kansas]], [[Louisiana]], [[Mississippi]], [[Missouri]], [[Nebraska]], [[New Mexico]], [[Oklahoma]], and [[Texas]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://rusconhouston.mid.ru/en/general-consulate/consul-district/ |title=Consular District |publisher=Russian Government|access-date=June 9, 2025}}</ref> The consulate assists with the processing of passports, visas, and other officials docs.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://houston.mid.ru/en/consular-services/ |title=Consular services |publisher=Russian Government|access-date=June 9, 2025}}</ref>

==History==
In October 2001 the U.S. and [[Russia]] formally agreed to establish a Houston [[consulate]].<ref name="open">{{cite web|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181101015525/https://rusconhouston.mid.ru/istoriceskaa-spravka |title=История учреждения Генерального консульства Российской Федерации в Хьюстоне |publisher=Russian Government|access-date=June 9, 2025}}</ref> The Russian government approved the establishment on February 12, 2003.<ref name="open" /> On May 9 of that year the [[United States Department of State]] confirmed the appointment of Houston's first Russian consul General Nikolay V. Sofinskiy.<ref name="open" /> The facility opened on August 4, 2004.<ref name="RussiaHoustonUSA">"[http://www.rusconhouston.mid.ru/eng_main.htm  THE HISTORY OF THE CONSULATE GENERAL] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121026002922/http://www.rusconhouston.mid.ru/eng_main.htm |date=2012-10-26 }}." ''Consulate-General of the Russian Federation in Houston''. Accessed October 12, 2012.</ref>

Russia opened a consulate in Houston due to its proximity to the [[aerospace]] and [[petroleum industry|petroleum industries]].<ref name="chron">Lezon, Dale. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20110604152043/https://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=2004_3766380 Energy, space draw Russian consulate here]." ''[[Houston Chronicle]]''. May 26, 2004. A21 MetFront. Retrieved on February 11, 2009.</ref> In a 2004 ''[[Houston Chronicle]]'' article Nikolai V. Sofinskiy stated that the [[Houston area]] had around 40,000 Russian speakers and that Houston's consulate could easily serve the [[southeastern United States]].<ref name="chron" /><ref>Miller, Doug. "[http://www.khou.com/news/local/stories/khou0040525_we_russianconsulate.1f8e7a474.html Russian Consulate coming to Houston]{{dead link|date=August 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}." ''[[KHOU-TV]]''. May 25, 2004. Retrieved on February 11, 2009.</ref>

==Consuls General of Russia in Houston==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+
!Name
!Date
|-
|Nikolay Vsevolodovich Sofinskiy (born 10 February 1958) <ref>[http://www.ln.mid.ru/dip_vest.nsf/19c2fdee616f12e54325688e00486a45/357f620f08396856c3256e36004cc830?OpenDocument Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation: New assignments] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615065356/http://www.ln.mid.ru/dip_vest.nsf/19c2fdee616f12e54325688e00486a45/357f620f08396856c3256e36004cc830?OpenDocument|date=2011-06-15}}, December 2003. Retrieved on January 3, 2011</ref>
|2003—2008
|-
|Nikolay Yevgenyevich Babich (born 22 December 1948) <ref>[http://www.rusconshouston.org/eng_consul_general.htm Consulate General of Russia in Houston, information about the Consul General] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101222131200/http://rusconshouston.org/eng_consul_general.htm|date=2010-12-22}}. Retrieved on January 3, 2011</ref>
|2008—2011
|-
|Alexander Konstantinovich Zakharov (born 18 February 1960) <ref>[http://www.mid.ru/activity/shots/new_appointments/-/asset_publisher/2TDCzbl45VHK/content/id/612837 Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation: New assignments]. Retrieved on April 2, 2018</ref>
|2011—2017
|-
|Alexander Borisovich Pisarev (born 16 May 1956) <ref>[http://www.mid.ru/activity/shots/new_appointments/-/asset_publisher/2TDCzbl45VHK/content/id/2814304 Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation: New assignments]. Retrieved on April 2, 2018</ref>
|2017—2020
|-
|Alexander Konstantinovich Zakharov (2nd term)
|2020—September 2023
|-
|Aleksei G. Markov (born 1980) <ref name="generalconsul" />
|2025—Present
|}

==Gallery==
{{Commons category}}
<gallery>
File:SealofRussianConsulate.JPG|[[Coat of arms of Russia|Arms of the Russian Federation]] displayed in the consulate
File:COnsulateRussiaHouston.JPG|Entrance to the consulate
</gallery>
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==See also==
{{Portal|Russia|Texas|Politics}}

* [[List of diplomatic missions of Russia]]
* [[List of ambassadors of Russia to the United States]]

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==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://houston.mid.ru/en/ Consulate General of Russia in Houston] {{in lang|en|ru}} 
* {{Twitter|ruscons_tx}}
* {{Facebook|RusConsTX}}
* {{User VK|rusconshouston|2}}

{{Russia–United States relations}}
{{Diplomatic missions of Russia}}
{{Diplomatic missions in the United States}}

[[Category:2001 establishments in Texas]]
[[Category:Diplomatic missions in Houston|Russia]]
[[Category:Diplomatic missions of Russia|Houston]]
[[Category:Russia–United States relations]]