In 1990s, Lukin was one of the founders of the liberal-democratic
Yabloko Party (the letter L in "Yabloko" came from his name). He previously served as the deputy chairman of the
Russian Duma, chair of the Duma's Foreign Affairs Committee and as
Ombudsman. He is a director on the board of the
Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), and is also a
former Ambassador to the United States. He is considered a long-time specialist in U.S.-Soviet/Russian strategic arms control issues and is a member of Russia's
Council on Foreign and Defense Policy, an independent association of national security experts. On 18 February 2009, at President Medvedev's recommendation, the Russian Duma voted him another five-year term as
human rights commissioner. This term expired in March 2014, and Lukin was replaced by
Ella Pamfilova. == Awards ==