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Yevgeny Kiselyov

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Yevgeny Alexeyevich Kiselyov is a prominent Russian television journalist. He is best known for his work investigating government corruption and political power. During the 1990s, he became a major figure in Russian media. He hosted a popular weekly news program called Itogi, which means "Results." This show was modeled after the American news program 60 Minutes. Kiselyov used his platform to advocate for anti-Communist and pro-democracy reforms. His work made him one of the most recognized journalists in the nation.

Kiselyov's career began with a focus on language and international communication. He studied Persian at Moscow State University. This training led him to work as an interpreter in Iran and Afghanistan during the Soviet-Afghan War. In 1984, he started his broadcasting career with the Persian service of Radio Moscow. He moved to television three years later. A major turning point occurred in 1991. During the dissolution of the Soviet Union, he refused to report only official Soviet news. This act of independent reporting helped establish his reputation as a pioneering journalist.

As the host of Itogi on the independent station NTV, Kiselyov used specific rhetorical methods. He often used historical comparisons to critique modern leaders. In 1999, he criticized the administration of President Boris Yeltsin. He referred to Yeltsin's inner circle as "the family," which was an insider's code phrase. He even compared Yeltsin's style of rule to that of the Roman emperor Caligula. While many praised his investigative work, some critics argued his shows were excessively politicized. They suggested he sometimes settled scores on behalf of the station's owners.

The landscape of Russian media changed significantly due to state intervention. In 2001, the state-controlled company Gazprom took control of NTV. Kiselyov and other journalists viewed this takeover as an attempt to suppress dissent. He was removed from the board of directors in April 2001. Kiselyov then moved to a rival station called TV-6, where he served as general manager. The arrival of his team caused TV-6's ratings to more than double. However, the government refused to renew TV-6's broadcasting license in January 2002. Kiselyov described this event as a "television coup" intended to gag the station.

Following the closure of TV-6, Kiselyov attempted to continue independent broadcasting. He joined the Media-Socium Group to launch a new station called TVS. This station faced financial difficulties and internal quarrels between shareholders. The government closed TVS in June 2003, citing the interests of viewers. This closure led many to describe Russia as a "one-channel country." This term suggested that private, independent television had effectively disappeared. Kiselyov's priority during this time was finding new employment for his news staff. Many of these journalists had followed him through three different television stations.

In 2008, Kiselyov moved to Ukraine to continue his work. He stated that Ukraine offered a more open environment for political debate. He believed Russian journalism had developed a culture of self-censorship. In Ukraine, he hosted the sociopolitical talk show "Big-Time Politics with Yevgeny Kiselyov" on the Inter channel. This show began in September 2009. While he presented his shows in Russian, his guests spoke either Ukrainian or Russian. The viewership for his show was significant, reaching 1 million people in 2007. However, interest declined, and viewership dropped to 500,000 by 2011.

Kiselyov's political positions have remained consistent and often controversial. He holds a positive view of Boris Yeltsin's presidency but a negative view of Vladimir Putin. In 2004, he helped found the 2008 Committee to criticize President Putin. He also supported the Ukrainian Orange Revolution in the fall of 2004. In 2014, he criticized Russia's foreign policy regarding the annexation of Crimea. He signed a statement in September 2014 demanding that Russian troops withdraw from Ukrainian territory. In 2016, he faced a criminal case in Russia for his support of Nadezhda Savchenko.

Today, Kiselyov utilizes digital platforms to reach audiences. He founded his own YouTube channel in October 2019. As of September 29, 2023, his channel has 326,000 subscribers. He remains a target of the Russian government. In April 2022, the Russian Ministry of Justice labeled him a "foreign agent." In February 2024, he was added to a list of individuals classified as terrorists and extremists by Rosfinmonitoring. His career illustrates the complex relationship between independent journalism and state power. He continues to navigate the challenges of political reporting in a changing world.

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