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 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, they were no longer just those who covered the course of events, but also people capable of influencing the public opinion of the warring countries. And among the journalists there are more and more famous names - remember, for example, the war in Spain, where Konstantin Simonov, 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.
Education
After graduating from high school, Alexander Evstigneev entered the history department. Then he studies in graduate school, working part-time in various places - including starting to write small stories about 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.
Beginning of a journalist's career and moving from Bratsk
Alexander Evstigneev himself says that he had to leave Bratsk, leaving his job on local television, due to a change of 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 it and it turned out very well. 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.
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 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.
“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.
Conclusion
Alexander Evstigneev, whose biography is presented in this article, is not just an interesting person, but a very interesting one. Although, it is possible that it cannot be otherwise - with such and such a profession. Unfortunately, very little information about the journalist is in the public domain, which is also understandable - a war correspondent is a valuable figure, which means he is exposed to the danger of destruction not only on the battlefield, but also in his home country, at home. By the way, Alexander Evstigneev is on the blacklist of the Security Service of Ukraine due to the fact that he reported on stories from the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics.
The newlyweds celebrated their wedding in a small circle. The 44-year-old bride wore a long, fitted dress in dark blue. The groom is in a classic suit. Among the guests at the celebration were Tigran Keosayan and Margarita Simonyan.
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The latter reported on Twitter that Irada and Alexander are now legal husband and wife. Margarita published a photo with the bride’s father and signed it: “We are marrying Irada with Avtandil Zeynalov!”
A relative of the bride, Svetlana Zeynalova, was also at the celebration. "Sister's wedding. Irada, be happy! Love and joy! So, remember 12/16/16!" – Svetlana wrote on Instagram and shared a video of the newlyweds dancing.
It is known that Zeynalova and Evstigneev have been in a relationship for about two years. Before Irada, Alexander was married to his colleague, reporter Natalya Ustyugova, who gave birth to his first child. Zeynalova was married to TV reporter Alexei Samoletov for more than ten years. They had a son, Timur. In 2015, the couple divorced.
According to Irada, it was difficult for her to make the decision to divorce her first husband. “Alexey is a wonderful friend, a wonderful father, but the relationship between us is over. We existed quite distanced from each other. People break up in less difficult situations. Son Timur has grown up. And we have grown up,” Zeynalova explained.
The idea of divorce came to Irada when she began to have an affair with Alexander Evstigneev. “We met when, having returned to Moscow, I became a presenter. Sasha always worked for our release. A talented guy with a good sense of humor. He always came up with something and surprised me,” the newly-made wife said in a recent interview.
The news that the country's most famous television journalist became the most discussed not only on the Internet, but also on the sidelines of the Ostankino television center. The affair between the 44-year-old now ex-host of the Vremya program and war correspondent Alexander Evstigneev was talked about in 2015, when the queen of news broadcasting went with the journalist on a business trip to Lugansk. Working together in hot spots soon grew into something more: rumors about the couple dating on the front line began to reach Moscow. At that time, each of them was busy with their own career and free from the shackles of marriage: Zeynalova and her husband Alexey Samoletov filed for divorce at the end of October 2015, having been married for more than 20 years, and Evstigneev separated from his first wife Natalya several years after moving to Moscow.
As Life managed to find out, the young journalist, not yet known for his reporting on military operations, came to conquer Channel One: his wife Natalya Ustyugova also settled with him at Ostankino. The former spouses met in their hometown in the Irkutsk region, where they built a career at the Bratsk television company for six years, after which they decided to expand their horizons. Alexander was the first to cross the threshold of the television center, after which he transported his wife to the capital. Their union cracked a few years later, after which Evstigneev continued to work in journalism, and Natalya began raising their common son Sasha, who is now 7 years old.
Irada and Alexei, in turn, have a growing son, Timur - the young man will turn 20 in a few days, but he has already served in the army and started an independent life. As it turned out, the young man and his famous mother had been living separately for a long time and trying not to interfere in each other’s personal lives - Samoletov Jr. devoted himself to his studies, and Irada was always disappearing at work or on another business trip. The news that Timur would soon attend his mother’s second wedding did not seem to surprise him at all: in an exclusive interview with Life, the young man said that he rarely discusses his personal life with his family.
- “I can only say that I love both mom and dad,” Timur Samoletov shared with Life. - If my mother decided to remarry, this is her choice and her personal life. I love my parents equally, and my mother’s wedding does not affect my life in any way. I didn’t delve into the essence of their relationship, I only know that he and Alexander met at work.
As it turned out, Timur now has fewer reasons to worry about his parents, whom his son saw more often on the silver screen than at home. Since Zeynalova was taken off the air of “Sunday Time”, the famous TV presenter can finally be found outside the walls of the television studio.
Now that mom was taken off the air, she began to be at work less. He is waiting for a new assignment, but I don’t know what. We have been living separately for a long time, and we have not discussed this issue yet.
Many predict a great future on television for the promising heir to the state channel star. Even his parents for a long time persuaded him to enroll in international journalism, but Timur responded with a categorical refusal, observing for a long time the rhythm in which Irada and Alexey worked. " Timur is a guy with brains, he speaks both English and German. But he said: “Anything, just not journalism! I don’t want, like you and dad, to work yourself into bloody snot all the time,” Zeynalova complained several years ago, when all her attempts to raise a replacement for herself were in vain.
After serving in the army, Timur Samoletov entered MGIMO, where he is now a second-year student. The young man plans to find himself in the military field, so he is studying Arabic at the Faculty of International Relations. At the same time, the son of journalists works, again, avoiding the journalistic specialty.
I’ve been working for a long time, but I don’t have a permanent job, depending on my luck. The last time I was engaged in the sale of theater tickets. You have to combine work and study, it’s difficult, but necessary.
The third member of the Zeynalova family, journalist Alexey Samoletov, also plunged into work after the divorce. According to the 52-year-old TV presenter, he was also not interested in the personal life of his ex-wife.
I have not communicated with Irada on this topic, so I have nothing to comment on. “We are all adults, we each have our own independent lives,” Alexey Samoletov told Life. - I’m currently traveling from business trip to business trip, I’m constantly filming, so I don’t even know if I’ll be in Moscow during her wedding. I have a lot of things to do, work. We remained on normal terms with Irada, our child also lives his own life. I don’t know what’s really going on and I’m not inclined to believe open publications until I get confirmation, because I’ve been working in journalism for too long. There is no point in me delving into her life.
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