countries the embassy is tasked with servicing. The consular section of the embassy is headed by the Consul and Senior Administrative Officer and is tasked with providing consular support to Australians living in any of the countries that the embassy services. These services include legal advice, provision of Australian passports, enabling Australians overseas to vote, provision of notarial services and providing details of local doctors and hospitals in the event of medical emergencies for Australians living or holidaying in countries services. The Austrade section of the embassy is headed by the Senior Trade Commissioner and is tasked with the establishing and maintaining of business and investment links between Australia and countries serviced. This includes promoting Australian education to prospective students in the region, providing business assistance for Australian exporters operating in the region and the marketing of Australian industry to businesses operating in the region. Due to the impact of COVID-19, many of the embassy's normal functions (including the issuing of passports and the provision of notarial services) have been suspended. Head of post The head of post of the embassy is typically also the Ambassador of Australia to the Russian Federation (previously the Soviet Union). Since the establishment of official diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union in 1942, there have been a total of 24 Ambassadors. Of these, only five have not held the role of Ambassador and held the post under chargé d'affaires. The current head of post is Ambassador Graeme Meehan. Meehan is a career diplomat with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) of the Government of Australia and has previously undertaken roles at the Australian Embassy in Beijing and in the Australian Government divisions of the East Asia Branch, China Free Trade Agreement Taskforce and for the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Meehan was appointed to the role by Foreign Minister Marise Payne in June 2019. Australian ambassadors to the Russian Federation hold resident accreditation to the Russian Federation, as well as non-resident accreditation to the Republics of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Moldova (not a nation serviced by the embassy, instead serviced by the Australian Embassy in Kiev, Ukraine), Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, the Kyrgyz Republic and Turkmenistan. This non-resident accreditation means that the role of the Ambassador to Russia also serves in the role of non-resident Ambassador to these nations indirectly. In June 2020, the ambassador signed a joint statement with top diplomatic