[1][b] Mikhail Bogdanov worked in the Soviet embassies in South Yemen from 1974 to 1977, Lebanon from 1977 to 1980, and Syria from 1983 to 1989 and again from 1991 to 1994.

[7] Mikhail Bogdanov was appointed director of the Department of the Middle East and North Africa at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2002, serving in this position until 2005.

He has served as deputy foreign minister since June 2011, special presidential envoy for the Middle East since 23 January 2012,[8] and special presidential envoy for the Middle East and Africa since October 2014.

[10] He was allegedly debriefed by Randa Kassis, who is a friend of foreign minister Sergey Lavrov, after she had attended a speech by Donald Trump Jr. for the Fabien Baussart-associated Center of Political and Foreign Affairs think tank in Paris on 11 October 2016, after which she allegedly stated that she could serve as a back door communication link between the Trump administration and president Vladimir Putin.

[citation needed] In addition to his native Russian, Bogdanov is fluent in Arabic and English.