Perhaps there are no bad or uninteresting professions. Each one attracts you with something or keeps some secrets of its own. This article is dedicated to a man who connected his life with a profession that was both interesting and dangerous—military journalism. But, before the story goes about the war correspondent Alexander Evstigneev, let’s dive a little into the history of military journalism.
Journalists under fire
Now the concept of “war correspondent” is familiar to our ears. But the appearance of such a position can be associated with Alexander the Great - it was he who first began to be accompanied by people who were engaged in describing battles, campaigns, and military operations in enemy lands. In fact, they are chroniclers from the battlefields.
With the advent of the printing press, it became possible to educate the general population about the events taking place on the battlefields through newspapers. In the nineteenth century, a real golden age in military journalism began - this was facilitated by the appearance of the telegraph.
The first professional military journalists also appeared in the nineteenth century - this is associated with the Crimean War. Even the names of the “pioneers” have been preserved - in the besieged Sevastopol, the fighting was described by the journalist of the magazine “Moskvityanin” N. Berg, and on the part of the Allied forces, the course of the war was described by the correspondent V. H. Russell, who later became quite widely known.
In the twentieth century, war correspondents were no longer just those who covered events, but also people capable of influencing public opinion in warring countries. And among the journalists there are more and more famous names - remember, for example, the war in Spain, where Konstantin Simonov, Ernest Hemingway, George Orwell and many other writers and poets worked as war journalists. Now the profession of a war correspondent still remains relevant, necessary and increasingly dangerous, since the development of weapons increases losses even in small, local conflicts, including among war correspondents.
Childhood
The future journalist Alexander Evstigneev was born “in the depths of Siberian ores” - in the city of Bratsk. He graduated from high school there and did not even think about becoming a journalist in the future and connecting his life with television.
Since childhood, he went in for sports, swam well, and was a physically active child. I dreamed of doing archeology, sat with history textbooks and, as they say, was a bookworm.
Height, weight, age. How old is Irada Zeynalova
Very often during various interviews we talk about height, weight, age. How old is Irada Zeynalova also asked by journalists with enviable frequency. Irada herself is not shy and speaks quite frankly about the fact that she was born in the capital on February 20, 1972.
Her zodiac sign is Pisces, she considers journalism to be her main activity, and with a height of 175 cm, she weighs only 55 kilograms. She often plays sports, and this, apparently, allows her to remain in excellent shape, despite a fairly busy work schedule, during which it is quite difficult to maintain a healthy lifestyle, but as the presenter demonstrates, it is quite possible.
Education
After graduating from high school, Alexander Evstigneev entered the history department. Then he studies in graduate school, while working part-time in various places - including starting to write short notes for newspapers in his city, mainly on popular science topics.
After graduating from graduate school at the Faculty of History, he is engaged in science, preparing to defend his doctorate, but fate brings Alexander to a local TV channel, where he begins his activity as a journalist - not yet a war correspondent.
Son of Irada Zeynalova - Timur
As it became known quite recently, Irada Zeynalova’s son, Timur, rarely discusses his personal life with his family, including his mother. “I can only tell you that I love all the members of my large family equally and am grateful to each of them, but there is personal space and I do not allow anyone to violate it.” Many journalists ask the young man how he feels about his mother’s second marriage.
Timur only comments with restraint: “If my mother decided to tie the knot again, then this is solely her decision and her life. Her wedding will not affect our relationship in any way.”
Son of Irada Zeynalova - Timur photo
Many said that the promising heir had to, like his mother, connect his life with television. His parents really did a lot for him to enter the Faculty of International Journalism. However, the young man flatly refused such work, noting that he clearly did not intend to work at the same pace as his parents throughout his life. Zeynalova O.
Beginning of a journalist's career and moving from Bratsk
Alexander Evstigneev himself says that he had to leave Bratsk, giving up his job on local television, due to a change in government in the city and, accordingly, a change in political course. Alexander was not satisfied with the principles the new bosses brought to Fraternal Television, and since Alexander was already the editor-in-chief at that time, all changes concerned his activities in the first place. Censorship was very strong, and the bias of the authorities became very obvious. For himself, Alexander saw two options: change jobs or “break down.” I didn’t want the second one, so I had to leave.
Moscow was chosen as the most difficult option - I wanted to jump over my head, and it turned out quite successfully. Arriving in Moscow, Alexander initially ended up working for an information agency that dealt with economic news.
First channel
Today, Alexander Evstigneev is a war correspondent on Channel One. Again, according to the journalist’s own recollections, he ended up there completely by accident - he was looking for a job, and then they offered this option. It was a sin to refuse. Although at first Alexander worked in the information block, which was responsible for economic news and had nothing to do with Ostankino. When I got tired of fiddling with numbers, I asked for a translation, because, according to the journalist himself, it is much more interesting to work with living destinies, real people, than with numbers. This is how Alexander Evstigneev came to Channel One, soon becoming one of the most famous Russian war correspondents.
Professional activity
In Moscow, Zeynalova’s husband worked at a news agency and was responsible for economic news. He was not interested in working with numbers; he wanted to work with people. The request for a transfer was granted, so Alexander ended up in Ostankino on Channel 1, where over time he gained fame as a war correspondent.
His work involves business trips to “hot spots”, the main ones: Syria and Donetsk. For reporting from Lugansk and Donetsk, he was blacklisted by the Security Service of Ukraine. In addition to military stories, he will include reports from places where the state of emergency has been established. Photos of Irada Zeynalova’s husband can be found from places of military conflicts.
Dangerous business trips and interesting stories
There are many hot spots behind the journalist. The situation in the world is now very unstable, therefore, no matter how unfortunate it may be, there is enough work for both soldiers and military journalists. Considering that Russia now has a military presence in many parts of the world, there is enough work for military journalists on federal Russian channels. Of course, the key areas are Donetsk and Syria.
Also, in addition to military conflicts, journalist Alexander Evstigneev also works in zones where a state of emergency has been declared. For example, in one of his interviews, he recalls how he flew with colleagues to Uzbekistan, where explosions occurred at military warehouses. In an almost illegal situation, we managed to make a short report from the scene of the incident, although by the end of the business trip, Evstigneev and his colleagues even ended up in a military prison, where they spent some time until the circumstances were clarified.
Among Alexander’s memories there is a story about a scene from aboard the cruiser “Moskva,” the flagship of the Black Sea Fleet. Together with his colleagues, he was present on board when the ship conducted combat exercises, honing shooting skills, various maneuvers and other elements of naval combat. Alexander Evstigneev said that at that moment groups of three federal channels were found on board and there was a real struggle between journalists for information.
Personal life
Alexander Evstigneev, whose personal life is little known to the general public, was married twice. The first marriage lasted ten years - the journalist’s chosen one was called Natalya, and she was a colleague. The couple got married in Bratsk, and they even had a child - a son. But, apparently, something went wrong, and after the ten-year period, Alexander and Natalya divorced.
A year later, rumors began to appear in newspapers that Evstigneev began an affair with a very famous Russian television journalist, Irada Zeynalova. Initially, the novel was known at the level of rumors and gossip, but in the sixteenth year, Alexander Evstigneev and Irada Zeynalova announced their engagement, and a little later they got married. The couple does not have children together yet, but Iraida already has a son, Timur, from her first marriage.
First husband of Irada Zeynalova
The TV star met her first lover at work. She was fascinated by journalist Alexei Samoletov, who for a long time worked as a special correspondent for the Vesti and Vesti-Moscow programs. He began his career as a presenter of children's programs at a Novosibirsk television studio. In 1980 he became a student at the Novosibirsk Theater School.
Since 1992, Alexey Samoletov has visited countries such as Chechnya, Afghanistan, Georgia, and Ingushetia as a war correspondent. He took part in emergency response efforts on Sakhalin, Colombia and other countries.
Alesey Samoletov and Irada Zeynalova were married for about 20 years; the divorce took place in 2020. The couple met when the girl was 21 years old. Alexey turned out to be 8 years older. The young and successful journalist was on the front line during the hottest times of the 90s. Irada admitted that she sincerely admired her husband. It was because of him that she herself began to take “combat” business trips.
In 1995, Samoletov was among those journalists who exchanged themselves for hostages during the terrorist attack in Budennovsk. By this time, the couple had been dating for a year. When Alexey returned from captivity by the militants, the girl was the first to talk about marriage. For a long time, the couple was rightly called one of the strongest in Russian journalism. For a long time, no one knew why there was discord in the family after so long.
Alexey and Irada have a son, Timur. After the divorce, he noted that he loved both mom and dad equally. After the divorce, the journalist threw himself into work. The couple remained in normal relations, the son lives his life. He doesn’t know what’s going on in his ex-wife’s life and is in no hurry to believe information from open publications.
“Direct speech” of a journalist: about himself, about work, about Bratsk and Moscow
In a few interviews and conversations with colleagues, you can find interesting information about Alexander Evstigneev.
For example, about his hometown of Bratsk, Alexander says that “the soul is in place” in it. After all, the journalist’s parents and friends all remained in their hometown. And the journalist has plans to go home again as he ages.
Regarding his departure, Alexander says that it was only difficult at first - when he first left. And then I was completely taken over by the new job and there was simply no time left to be bored. In addition, it is possible to fly home several times a year, which allows you to see your family and not forget the “feeling of your small homeland.”
As for work on Channel One, Alexander notes a very high level. He says that at first, of course, there was a feeling of some kind of “provincialism,” perhaps even oppressive, especially compared to his colleagues in the capital. And then it passed, and at the same time there was a feeling that the province does not mean worse. Any provincial city, any television has its own talented journalists and strong personalities. And if a person “does not shine” on federal channels, this does not mean that he is bad.
About his future goals, Alexander jokes that he definitely wants to enter the top ten journalists of Channel One. At worst, become a millionaire.
Evgeny Evstigneev: personal life
Evgeniy was married three times to actresses with whom he served on the same stage. His first wife was Galina Volchek
- a future famous actress and theater figure.
They met while studying at the Moscow Art Theater School and then worked together at Sovremennik. In 1961, their son Denis
.
Galina Volchek with her son Denis.
Photo stuki-druki.com Liliya Zhurkina, a graduate of the Moscow Art Theater School, joined the Sovremennik troupe in 1963.
. Evstigneev was captivated by her beauty, and the aspiring actress could not resist his charm. For some time, the lovers managed to hide their romance (both were not single), but, as they say, “you can’t hide an sew in a bag.” When Galina Volchek found out about her husband’s infidelity, she immediately filed for divorce. Lilia had to quit the theater.
After the divorce from Galina Volchek
Zhurkina also divorced her husband, the famous sculptor Oleg Ikonnikov, but it took her a year: the man did everything to keep her. Then Lilia and Evgeniy legalized their relationship. The new wife was 12 years younger than Evstigneev. A few years later their daughter Maria
.
Evgeny Evstigneev and Liliya Zhurkina.
Photo uznayvse.ru The couple did not have their own home (at first they rented a room from a close friend of Evgeniy Vladimir Soshalsky
, and then
Oleg Tabakov
) and disappeared at work all the time. Therefore, until the age of 5, the girl lived with her grandmother (Evstigneev’s mother) in Gorky. When the actor was given an apartment, the parents brought their daughter to Moscow.
This union was unhappy for both, although it lasted more than 20 years. Evgeniy’s career was going uphill, but Lilia could not realize herself despite her beauty and talent. In films, she almost always starred with Evstigneev, but unlike him, she played only minor roles. And at the Moscow Art Theater, where Efremov accepted her thanks to her husband, Zhurkina remained unclaimed.
Lilia Zhurkina. “Atlantes and Caryatids” 1980
Their relationship was getting worse. As a result, having found a place in the profession, the actress began blaming her husband for her failures and drinking. Perhaps alcohol led her to a serious neurological disease in the future. Several times Lilia tried to take her own life.
Evstigneev found the best specialists, treated his wife in clinics and even resorted to alternative medicine, but to no avail. Unexpectedly for everyone, Lilia died during her next stay in the hospital. She was only 49 years old. Evgeny blamed himself for not being able to help his wife. As a result, she and her daughter were left alone.
Evgeny Evstigneev and his last love
The actor met his future third wife while teaching at the Studio School. Irina Tsyvina
was one of his students.
Evstigneev staged a graduation performance for her course, in which he entrusted Irina with the main role. Irina Tsyvina.
Photo kino-teatr.ru After Efremov took Tsyvina to the theater on a contract, a whirlwind romance began between the former teacher and student. The famous actor was 37 years older than Irina. Only a year after Lilia’s death did he decide to introduce his chosen one to his daughter.
As it turned out, they already knew each other - Maria also studied at the Studio School several years younger than her “stepmother.” The daughter received Tsyvina with hostility, but over time she became convinced that Irina’s feelings for Evstigneev were real. Maria accepted her father’s choice, and later even became friends with Irina.
Irina Tsyvina and Evgeny Evstigneev. Photo kulturologia.ru
