Oleg Kashin
Encyclopedia
Oleg Kashin is a former seaman and a prominent Russia
n journalist.
in Kaliningrad
where he expressed rather sharp views. He continued to work for that newspaper up to 2003, specializing on exclusive interviews and special reports, then moved to Moscow
and started working as a journalist for Komsomolskaya Pravda
in Moscow
. After a while he left the newspaper, became a staff writer at Kommersant
and became the leading Russian journalist covering youth political movements, ranging broadly from NBP
to Nashi
. He left Kommersant
in June 2005, dissatisfied with the dismissal of the director-general Andrei Vassiliev. After leaving Kommersant, he worked for various media including Russian Magazine, Big City
, Limonka
, Izvestia
, Your Day, Globalrus, Re:action, Expert and Vzglyad in Moscow
.
Kashin reported on a number of force majeure events, including the death of Maskhadov
, the destruction of hens infected with avian influenza in Novosibirsk Oblast
and the burial of rescuers who died during the Beslan school hostage crisis
. He was detained by militia
and beaten several times while fulfilling his journalist duties. He considered the political situation in Russia to be poor as there were many people sharing liberal values but no 'normal' right party nor any slightly 'left' social-democratic party, which he saw as a consequence of the surge of PR in Russia. When asked to give an estimate of the Russian authorities, Kashin said it was difficult because they are not uniform. In a 2006 interview, Kashin said, "Hopefully, the last year forced all our people in the Kremlin to realize that if they would remain swines, they will be swept by 'orange surge. Kashin said of the Russian authorities and media that there was freedom of speech but on the other side, media are allowed to "stick to the most base instincts of audience to enhance ratings, in exchange for political loyalty." He said that the Russian authorities are self-confident and "cease to think that there is such thing as media between authorities and society", an erroneous position that arose from the servient role of the media during the 1999 and 1996 elections or even during Perestroika
, and believes that the future of Russia is in need of energetic leadership.
In 2007 Kashin became a regular author and a deputy editor of the Russian Life magazine. In 2009, Kashin returned to Kommersant
as a special correspondent.
in December 1999 about Chechen fighters cutting throats of Russian soldiers before cameras: "just in that way they are trying to make the war more expressive, visible, bright".
Kashin in the article devoted to the murder of Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya
on October 9, 2006, called Politkovskaya "Newsmaker, rather than a journalist, moreover, newsmaker of a strange kind, God's fool, standing in one row with Valeriya Novodvorskaya and Viktor Anpilov
." Kashin made a point that in modern Russia "there is no such horrid truth, for which a journalist can be killed", because, according to Kashin, critique makes no impression on authorities: they just do not notice it.
Considering case of Andrey Sychev, which caused dire resonance in Russian society (in which a young conscript lost his legs and genitalia due to disease triggered by dedovschina), and made the negative imprint on reputation of the contemporary Minister of Defense Sergey Ivanov, Oleg Kashin made a point that the case was largely fabricated:
through the Khimki forest
near Moscow. His reporting covering youth political movements and political protests had also prompted aggressive responses from many pro-Kremlin groups, including the Young Guard of United Russia, a youth group associated with the United Russia
political party, chaired by Vladimir Putin
.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n journalist.
Career
Kashin graduated from the Baltic State Fishing Fleet Academy with a degree in sea navigation in 2001. While studying, he wrote for Komsomolskaya PravdaKomsomolskaya Pravda
Komsomolskaya Pravda is a daily Russian tabloid newspaper, founded on March 13th, 1925. It is published by "Izdatelsky Dom Komsomolskaya Pravda" .- History :...
in Kaliningrad
Kaliningrad
Kaliningrad is a seaport and the administrative center of Kaliningrad Oblast, the Russian exclave between Poland and Lithuania on the Baltic Sea...
where he expressed rather sharp views. He continued to work for that newspaper up to 2003, specializing on exclusive interviews and special reports, then moved to Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
and started working as a journalist for Komsomolskaya Pravda
Komsomolskaya Pravda
Komsomolskaya Pravda is a daily Russian tabloid newspaper, founded on March 13th, 1925. It is published by "Izdatelsky Dom Komsomolskaya Pravda" .- History :...
in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. After a while he left the newspaper, became a staff writer at Kommersant
Kommersant
Kommersant is a commerce-oriented newspaper published in Russia. , the circulation was 131,000.- History :The newspaper was initially published in 1909, and it was closed down following the Bolshevik seizure of power and the introduction of censorship in 1917.In 1989, with the onset of press...
and became the leading Russian journalist covering youth political movements, ranging broadly from NBP
NBP
NBP can stand for:* Name Binding Protocol* Narodowy Bank Polski * National Balancing Point * National Bank of Pakistan* National Bolshevik Party* National Broadband Plan of the United States...
to Nashi
Nashi
Nashi may refer to:*Nashi , a Russian youth movement*Nashi , a former Russian political movement*Nashi pear*Nashi , a northeast wind which occurs in winter on the Iranian coast of the Persian Gulf...
. He left Kommersant
Kommersant
Kommersant is a commerce-oriented newspaper published in Russia. , the circulation was 131,000.- History :The newspaper was initially published in 1909, and it was closed down following the Bolshevik seizure of power and the introduction of censorship in 1917.In 1989, with the onset of press...
in June 2005, dissatisfied with the dismissal of the director-general Andrei Vassiliev. After leaving Kommersant, he worked for various media including Russian Magazine, Big City
Big City
Big City may refer to:* Big City , a fictional future city in Antarctica*The Big City , directed by Tod Browning*Big City , a 1937 film, directed by Frank Borzage, starring Luise Rainer and Spencer Tracy...
, Limonka
Limonka (newspaper)
Limonka is a Moscow-based newspaper. Limonka is the official organ of the National Bolshevik Party. Limonka was founded by Eduard Limonov and it was first published in 1994. The name is a play of words on Limonov and is idiomatic Russian for grenade...
, Izvestia
Izvestia
Izvestia is a long-running high-circulation daily newspaper in Russia. The word "izvestiya" in Russian means "delivered messages", derived from the verb izveshchat . In the context of newspapers it is usually translated as "news" or "reports".-Origin:The newspaper began as the News of the...
, Your Day, Globalrus, Re:action, Expert and Vzglyad in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
.
Kashin reported on a number of force majeure events, including the death of Maskhadov
Aslan Maskhadov
Aslan Aliyevich Maskhadov was a leader of the Chechen separatist movement and the third President of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria.He was credited by many with the Chechen victory in the First Chechen War, which allowed for the...
, the destruction of hens infected with avian influenza in Novosibirsk Oblast
Novosibirsk Oblast
Novosibirsk Oblast is a federal subject of Russia located in southwestern Siberia. Its administrative and economic center is the city of Novosibirsk. Population: -Overview:...
and the burial of rescuers who died during the Beslan school hostage crisis
Beslan school hostage crisis
The Beslan school hostage crisis of early September 2004 was a three-day hostage-taking of over 1,100 people which ended in the deaths of over 380...
. He was detained by militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
and beaten several times while fulfilling his journalist duties. He considered the political situation in Russia to be poor as there were many people sharing liberal values but no 'normal' right party nor any slightly 'left' social-democratic party, which he saw as a consequence of the surge of PR in Russia. When asked to give an estimate of the Russian authorities, Kashin said it was difficult because they are not uniform. In a 2006 interview, Kashin said, "Hopefully, the last year forced all our people in the Kremlin to realize that if they would remain swines, they will be swept by 'orange surge. Kashin said of the Russian authorities and media that there was freedom of speech but on the other side, media are allowed to "stick to the most base instincts of audience to enhance ratings, in exchange for political loyalty." He said that the Russian authorities are self-confident and "cease to think that there is such thing as media between authorities and society", an erroneous position that arose from the servient role of the media during the 1999 and 1996 elections or even during Perestroika
Perestroika
Perestroika was a political movement within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union during 1980s, widely associated with the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev...
, and believes that the future of Russia is in need of energetic leadership.
In 2007 Kashin became a regular author and a deputy editor of the Russian Life magazine. In 2009, Kashin returned to Kommersant
Kommersant
Kommersant is a commerce-oriented newspaper published in Russia. , the circulation was 131,000.- History :The newspaper was initially published in 1909, and it was closed down following the Bolshevik seizure of power and the introduction of censorship in 1917.In 1989, with the onset of press...
as a special correspondent.
political activism
On October 6, 2006 Oleg Kashin published the article "Brightness and expression of virtual GULAG" viewing controversy about the site "The Chronicles of Hell", in which he drew the conclusion that Russian liberal mindset allows the "lie for the profits of the deal", illustrating his claim with the words said by Russian journalist Andrei BabitskyAndrei Babitsky
Andrei Babitsky is a Russian journalist and war reporter, who has worked for Radio Liberty since 1989, covering the 1991 August Coup, Civil War in Tajikistan and, most notably, both Chechen Wars from behind Chechen lines...
in December 1999 about Chechen fighters cutting throats of Russian soldiers before cameras: "just in that way they are trying to make the war more expressive, visible, bright".
Kashin in the article devoted to the murder of Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya
Anna Politkovskaya
Anna Stepanovna Politkovskaya was a Russian journalist, author, and human rights activist known for her opposition to the Chechen conflict and then-President of Russia Vladimir Putin...
on October 9, 2006, called Politkovskaya "Newsmaker, rather than a journalist, moreover, newsmaker of a strange kind, God's fool, standing in one row with Valeriya Novodvorskaya and Viktor Anpilov
Viktor Anpilov
Viktor Anpilov is a Russian Communist politician and trade unionist. Anpilov joined the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in 1972. He worked as a Soviet journalist in Latin America. In 1990, Anpilov was nominated as candidate for the Congress of People's Deputies and Moscow city Soviet...
." Kashin made a point that in modern Russia "there is no such horrid truth, for which a journalist can be killed", because, according to Kashin, critique makes no impression on authorities: they just do not notice it.
Considering case of Andrey Sychev, which caused dire resonance in Russian society (in which a young conscript lost his legs and genitalia due to disease triggered by dedovschina), and made the negative imprint on reputation of the contemporary Minister of Defense Sergey Ivanov, Oleg Kashin made a point that the case was largely fabricated:
- "The only proven episode... is that Sychev squatted for a while in front of now imprisoned junior sergeant Sivyakov.... All the other stuff was thought up by the chairman of ChelyabinskChelyabinskChelyabinsk is a city and the administrative center of Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia, located in the northwestern side of the oblast, south of Yekaterinburg, just to the east of the Ural Mountains, on the Miass River. Population: -History:...
Committee of Soldiers Mothers Lydmila Zinchenko, who, after giving a dozen of interviews to liberal media now cowardly conceals from investigators."
2010 attack
On November 6, 2010, Kashin was assaulted by unknown attackers near his home in Moscow. He was hospitalized with several fractures. Police are treating the attack as attempted murder. President Medvedev has said that the assailants "must be found and punished". Prior to the attack Kashin had been reporting on the proposal to build a highwayMoscow – Saint Petersburg motorway
The Moscow – Saint Petersburg motorway is a planned toll road between Moscow and Saint Petersburg. The first section of the motorway is to be finished in 2013. The road will run parallel to the M10 highway. Its construction has been met with strong protest from environmentalist groups and...
through the Khimki forest
Khimki Forest
Khimki Forest is a birch tree forest in the Russian city of Moscow covering about 1000 hectares. It is part of the so-called "Green Belt" around Moscow. An $8 billion dollar high speed road has been proposed to go through the forest to connect Moscow and Saint Petersburg. For this purpose, part of...
near Moscow. His reporting covering youth political movements and political protests had also prompted aggressive responses from many pro-Kremlin groups, including the Young Guard of United Russia, a youth group associated with the United Russia
United Russia
United Russia is a centrist political party in Russia and the largest party in the country, currently holding 315 of the 450 seats in the State Duma. The party was founded in December 2001, through a merger of the Unity and Fatherland-All Russia parties...
political party, chaired by Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when...
.
External links
- Oleg Kashin's blog in LiveJournal
- Kremlin Youth Encourage 'Us' to Get 'Them'
- Sticks and stones: the blogs of Oleg Kashin, feature on Kashin
- Analysis: Walking With Putin, Radio Free Europe.
- Nashi Beats Yabloko Leader, St Petersburg Times.