Artyom Borovik
Encyclopedia
Artyom Genrikhovich Borovik (13 September 1960 – 9 March 2000) was a prominent Russia
n journalist
and media
magnate
. He was the son of a Soviet
journalist, Genrikh Borovik
, who worked for many years as a foreign correspondent
in the U.S.
, Vladislav Listyev
, Alexander Lyubimov, Alexander Politkovsky and Dmitry Zakharov.
Borovik was a pioneer of investigative journalism
in the Soviet Union during the beginning of glasnost
. He worked for the American CBS
program 60 Minutes
during the 1990s, and began publishing his own monthly investigative newspaper Top Secret, which grew into a mass-media company involved in book publishing and television production. In 1999, Borovik started an investigative program called Versiya in partnership with U.S. News & World Report
.
His Top Secret TV programme often focused on corruption
cases involving Russia's political and economic elite. The programme, as well as Borovik's print publications, Top Secret and Versiya, were openly critical of Vladimir Putin
. Borovik also opposed the First
and Second Chechen War
s. His last investigation was about the Russian apartment bombings
of 1999, which he and others alleged had actually been orchestrated by the Russian FSB
. In one of his last papers he quoted Vladimir Putin who said: "There are three ways to influence people: blackmail, vodka, and the threat to kill." This quote Borovic based on Der Spiegel
and Stern
, German magazines.
An Artyom Borovik prize for investigative journalism is awarded annually in Moscow. Anna Politkovskaya
received this prize.
Borovik died in an aircraft crash at Sheremetyevo International Airport
on 9 March 2000. The Yakovlev Yak-40
was chartered by the Chechen oil industry executive Ziya Bazhayev
for a flight to Kiev
. All 9 people on board, including 5 crew, perished in the crash
. The originally scheduled aircraft was due to depart at 8:00 in the morning of 9 March 2000; however, due to Borovik's planned flight being delayed, Bazhayev offered Borovik a seat on his aircraft.
The official investigation into the crash by the Interstate Aviation Committee revealed that whilst snow was removed from the aircraft exterior, de-icing fluid was not applied. The crew did not ask for permission to enter the taxiway, which was done at too high a speed for the icy conditions, and the flaps were set to 11°, instead of 20°. The aircraft reached a speed of 165 km/h, when the crew began to rotate the aircraft, at which stage it reached a 13° angle of attack, and stalled 8–10 metres off the ground, and reached a height of 63 metres, before crashing.
According to historian Yuri Felshtinsky and political scientist Vladimir Pribylovsky
, Borovik's death may be linked to his publications about Vladimir Putin just before the presidential elections that took place on 26 March . He died three days prior to the scheduled publication of materials about Putin's childhood. At this time he also conducted an investigation of Moscow apartment bombings.. Borovik had studied Vera Putina
's claims.
Artyom Borovik is buried at Novodevichy Cemetery
in Moscow
.
.
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
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and media
Mass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
magnate
Magnate
Magnate, from the Late Latin magnas, a great man, itself from Latin magnus 'great', designates a noble or other man in a high social position, by birth, wealth or other qualities...
. He was the son of a Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
journalist, Genrikh Borovik
Genrikh Borovik
Genrikh Averyanovich Borovik is a Soviet and Russian publicist, writer, playwright and filmmaker, the father of journalist Artyom Borovik.According to Vasili Mitrokhin, Borovik was a KGB agent in the United States, one of whose successful projects was promotion of false John F. Kennedy...
, who worked for many years as a foreign correspondent
Correspondent
A correspondent or on-the-scene reporter is a journalist or commentator, or more general speaking, an agent who contributes reports to a newspaper, or radio or television news, or another type of company, from a remote, often distant, location. A foreign correspondent is stationed in a foreign...
in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Journalism
Borovik first appeared on Soviet television in late 1980s as one of the hosts of a highly progressive and successful Vzglyad (which literally translates as The View or The Look), a kind of satirical television show watched weekly by as many as 100 million people. The other anchors were Evgeny DodolevEvgeny Dodolev
Yevgeniy Yuriyevich Dodolyev , is a Soviet and Russian journalist and publisher.-TV Years:...
, Vladislav Listyev
Vladislav Listyev
-External links:* - IFEX*...
, Alexander Lyubimov, Alexander Politkovsky and Dmitry Zakharov.
Borovik was a pioneer of investigative journalism
Investigative journalism
Investigative journalism is a form of journalism in which reporters deeply investigate a single topic of interest, often involving crime, political corruption, or corporate wrongdoing. An investigative journalist may spend months or years researching and preparing a report. Investigative journalism...
in the Soviet Union during the beginning of glasnost
Glasnost
Glasnost was the policy of maximal publicity, openness, and transparency in the activities of all government institutions in the Soviet Union, together with freedom of information, introduced by Mikhail Gorbachev in the second half of the 1980s...
. He worked for the American CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
program 60 Minutes
60 Minutes
60 Minutes is an American television news magazine, which has run on CBS since 1968. The program was created by producer Don Hewitt who set it apart by using a unique style of reporter-centered investigation....
during the 1990s, and began publishing his own monthly investigative newspaper Top Secret, which grew into a mass-media company involved in book publishing and television production. In 1999, Borovik started an investigative program called Versiya in partnership with U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is an American news magazine published from Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek it was for many years a leading news weekly, focusing more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories...
.
His Top Secret TV programme often focused on corruption
Political corruption
Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by...
cases involving Russia's political and economic elite. The programme, as well as Borovik's print publications, Top Secret and Versiya, were openly critical of 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...
. Borovik also opposed the First
First Chechen War
The First Chechen War, also known as the War in Chechnya, was a conflict between the Russian Federation and the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, fought from December 1994 to August 1996...
and Second Chechen War
Second Chechen War
The Second Chechen War, in a later phase better known as the War in the North Caucasus, was launched by the Russian Federation starting 26 August 1999, in response to the Invasion of Dagestan by the Islamic International Peacekeeping Brigade ....
s. His last investigation was about the Russian apartment bombings
Russian apartment bombings
The Russian apartment bombings were a series of explosions that hit four apartment blocks in the Russian cities of Buynaksk, Moscow, and Volgodonsk in September 1999, killing 293 people and injuring 651. The explosions occurred in Buynaksk on 4 September, Moscow on 9 and 13 September, and...
of 1999, which he and others alleged had actually been orchestrated by the Russian FSB
FSB (Russia)
The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation is the main domestic security agency of the Russian Federation and the main successor agency of the Soviet Committee of State Security . Its main responsibilities are counter-intelligence, internal and border security, counter-terrorism, and...
. In one of his last papers he quoted Vladimir Putin who said: "There are three ways to influence people: blackmail, vodka, and the threat to kill." This quote Borovic based on Der Spiegel
Der Spiegel
Der Spiegel is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. It is one of Europe's largest publications of its kind, with a weekly circulation of more than one million.-Overview:...
and Stern
Stern (magazine)
Stern is a weekly news magazine published in Germany. It was founded in 1948 by Henri Nannen, and is currently published by Gruner + Jahr, a subsidiary of Bertelsmann. In the first quarter of 2006, its print run was 1.019 million copies and it reached 7.84 million readers according to...
, German magazines.
An Artyom Borovik prize for investigative journalism is awarded annually in Moscow. 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...
received this prize.
Death
Sheremetyevo International Airport
Sheremetyevo International Airport , is an international airport located in the Moscow Oblast, Russia, north-west of central Moscow. It is a hub for the passenger operations of the Russian international airline Aeroflot, and one of the three major airports serving Moscow along with Domodedovo...
on 9 March 2000. The Yakovlev Yak-40
Yakovlev Yak-40
The Yakovlev Yak-40 is a small, three-engined airliner that is often called the first regional jet transport aircraft...
was chartered by the Chechen oil industry executive Ziya Bazhayev
Ziya Bazhayev
Ziya Bazhayev was a prominent Russian businessman of Chechen origin specializing in oil trading. He died in Moscow during a crash of a Yakovlev Yak-40 aircraft shortly after take off on March 9, 2000, together with a Russian journalist, Artyom Borovik.Bazhayev's death is mentioned in many Nigerian...
for a flight to Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
. All 9 people on board, including 5 crew, perished in the crash
. The originally scheduled aircraft was due to depart at 8:00 in the morning of 9 March 2000; however, due to Borovik's planned flight being delayed, Bazhayev offered Borovik a seat on his aircraft.
The official investigation into the crash by the Interstate Aviation Committee revealed that whilst snow was removed from the aircraft exterior, de-icing fluid was not applied. The crew did not ask for permission to enter the taxiway, which was done at too high a speed for the icy conditions, and the flaps were set to 11°, instead of 20°. The aircraft reached a speed of 165 km/h, when the crew began to rotate the aircraft, at which stage it reached a 13° angle of attack, and stalled 8–10 metres off the ground, and reached a height of 63 metres, before crashing.
According to historian Yuri Felshtinsky and political scientist Vladimir Pribylovsky
Vladimir Pribylovsky
Vladimir Valerianovich Pribylovsky is a Russian historian, journalist and human rights advocate opposed to current Russian authorities.-Biography:...
, Borovik's death may be linked to his publications about Vladimir Putin just before the presidential elections that took place on 26 March . He died three days prior to the scheduled publication of materials about Putin's childhood. At this time he also conducted an investigation of Moscow apartment bombings.. Borovik had studied Vera Putina
Vera Putina
Vera Putina is a woman who has since 1999 stated that Vladimir Putin is her lost son. The woman's claims contrast with Putin's official biography, which states that Putin's parents died before he became president...
's claims.
Artyom Borovik is buried at Novodevichy Cemetery
Novodevichy Cemetery
Novodevichy Cemetery is the most famous cemetery in Moscow, Russia. It is next to the 16th-century Novodevichy Convent, which is the city's third most popular tourist site. It should not be confused with the Novodevichy Cemetery in Saint Petersburg....
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...
.
His books
Borovik published several books, including The Hidden War, about the Soviet war in AfghanistanSoviet war in Afghanistan
The Soviet war in Afghanistan was a nine-year conflict involving the Soviet Union, supporting the Marxist-Leninist government of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan against the Afghan Mujahideen and foreign "Arab–Afghan" volunteers...
.
- Artyom Borovik. Russian in the U. S. Army. Hippocrene Books, Inc. 1990. ISBN 0-87052-627-8
- Artyom Borovik. Hidden War: A Russian Journalist's Account of the Soviet War in Afghanistan. Grove/Atlantic, Inc. 1992. ISBN 0-87113-283-4