Perhaps there are no professions that are bad or uninteresting. Each one draws to itself or keeps some of its secrets. This article is devoted to a man who connected his life with a profession that was interesting and dangerous - with military journalism. But, before the story goes about war correspondent Alexander Evstigneev, we will plunge a little into the history of military journalism.
Journalists under fire
Now the concept of "war correspondent" is familiar to our ear. But the appearance of such a position can be connected already with Alexander the Great - it was for the first time that people who were engaged in describing battles, campaigns, and military operations in the enemy’s lands began to accompany him. In fact - chroniclers from the battlefield.
With the advent of the printing press, it became possible to educate the general public about events taking place on the battlefields with the help of newspapers. In the nineteenth century, a real golden age begins in military journalism - this is facilitated by the advent of the telegraph.
The first professional military journalists also appeared in the nineteenth century - this is due to the Crimean War. Even the names of the “pioneers” have been preserved - in the besieged Sevastopol, the military operations were described by the journalist of the Moskvityan magazine N. Berg, and from the side of the Allied forces the course of the war was described by the correspondent V. Kh. Russell, who afterwards became quite famous.
In the twentieth century, war correspondents were no longer just those who covered the course of events, but also people who could influence the public opinion of the warring countries. Yes, and among journalists come across 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 military 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 "deep in the 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.
From childhood, he went in for sports, swam well, and was a physically active child. He dreamed of doing archeology, sat at history books and, as they say, was a bookworm.
Education
After graduating from high school, Alexander Evstigneev enters the Faculty of History. Then he studies in graduate school, at the same time earning money in various places - including starting to write small notes in the newspapers of his city, mainly on popular science topics.
After graduating from the graduate school of the Faculty of History, he is engaged in science, is preparing to defend his doctorate, but fate brings Alexander to the local television channel, where he begins his career as a journalist - not yet a war correspondent.
Beginning of a journalist career and relocation from Bratsk
Alexander Evstigneev himself says that he had to leave Bratsk, having quit his job on local television, due to a change in power in the city and, consequently, a change in political course. Alexander was not happy with the principles that the new bosses brought to Brotherly Television, and since Alexander was already the editor-in-chief at that time, all the changes concerned his work in the first place. Censorship was very strong, and engagement with power became very obvious. For himself, Alexander saw two ways out: to change his job or “break down”. The second - I did not want, so I had to leave.
Moscow was chosen as the most difficult option - I wanted to jump above my head, and it turned out very successfully. Arriving in Moscow, Alexander first got into the news agency, which was engaged in economic news.
First channel
To date, Alexander Evstigneev is a war correspondent on Channel One. There, again according to the memoirs of the journalist himself, he got there by accident - he was looking for work, but here they offered such an 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 bored with messing with numbers, I asked for a translation, because, according to the journalist himself, it is much more interesting to work with living fates, real people, than with numbers. So Alexander Evstigneev got on Channel One, soon becoming one of the most famous Russian war correspondents.
Dangerous business trips and interesting stories
Behind the back of the journalist are many hot spots. The situation in the world is now very unstable, therefore, as regrettable as it may be, there is enough work for both soldiers and military journalists. Considering that Russia now has its military presence in many parts of the world, there are enough work for military journalists of federal Russian channels. Of course, the key areas are Donetsk and Syria.
Also, in addition to military conflicts, journalist Alexander Evstigneev works in areas where the emergency mode is declared. For example, in an interview, he recalls how he flew with colleagues to Uzbekistan, where explosions occurred in military depots. In the conditions of an almost illegal situation, a small report was made from the scene, although by the end of the trip, the Eustignee and colleagues even went to a military prison, where they spent some time until the circumstances were clarified.
Among Alexander's memoirs there is a story about the plot from the board of the cruiser "Moscow" - the flagship of the Black Sea Fleet. Together with his colleagues, he was present on board when the vessel conducted military exercises, honing its shooting skills, various maneuvers and other elements of naval combat. Alexander Evstigneev told, at that moment groups of three federal channels were found on board and there was a real fight between journalists.
Personal life
Alexander Evstigneev, whose personal life is little known to the general public, was married twice. The first marriage lasted ten years - the chosen one of the journalist was called Natalya, and she was a colleague in the shop. The couple married back in Bratsk, and they even had a baby - a son. But, apparently, something went wrong, and after a ten-year period, Alexander and Natalia divorced.
A year later, rumors began to appear in the newspapers that Evstigneev began an affair with the very famous Russian TV 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 has no joint children yet, but Iraida already has a son Timur from his first marriage.
"Direct Speech" of a journalist: about himself, about work, about Bratsk and about Moscow
In a few interviews and conversations with colleagues, you can find interesting information about Alexander Evstigneev.
For example, Alexander tells of his hometown of Bratsk that he has "a soul in place." After all, the journalist’s parents and friends all remained in their hometown. And the journalist’s plans to go home again with age.
Regarding his departure, Alexander says that it was difficult only the first time - when he just left. And then a new job completely captured and there was simply no time left to get bored. In addition, there is the opportunity to fly home several times a year, which allows you to see your relatives and not to forget the “feeling of a small homeland”.
As for the work on Channel One, Alexander notes a very high level. He says that at first, of course, the feeling of some kind of “provinciality” was, maybe even crushed, especially against the background of the capital’s colleagues. And then it passed, and at the same time there was a feeling that the province does not mean worse. In any provincial city, on any television there are talented journalists, strong personalities. And if a person "does not shine" on federal channels - this does not mean that he is bad.
Alexander jokes about his further goals, that he wants to be included in the top ten journalists of Channel One. At worst, becoming a millionaire.
Conclusion
Alexander Evstigneev, whose biography is presented in this article, is not only an interesting person, but very interesting. Although, it is possible that it cannot be otherwise - with such and such a profession. Unfortunately, very little information about the journalist is publicly available, which is also understandable - a war correspondent is a valuable figure, which means that he is at risk of destruction not only on the battlefield, but also in his own country and at home. By the way, Alexander Evstigneev is on the black list of the Security Service of Ukraine due to the fact that he led stories from the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics.