Ilyin, Alexander Alekseevich

Alexander Ilyin was born on January 1, 1941 in Leningrad. After graduation, he served urgent, in the ranks of the Armed Forces of the USSR became a member of the CPSU . In 1968 he graduated from the Faculty of Journalism, Leningrad State University. A. A. Zhdanova , was a Lenin scholarship holder. In 1968-1973 he worked in the newspaper Leningradskaya Pravda . In the summer of 1973 he was invited to work in the newspaper Pravda , where over 30 years of creative activity he went from a correspondent to the chief editor. Member of the CPSU, member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party ^[3] .

In the mid-1980s, Ilyin’s career take-off in Pravda, where about 800 employees worked then, fell on the era of perestroika and publicity associated with Mikhail Gorbachev's coming to power in the USSR. The changing appearance of the country's main newspaper demanded new forms of presentation of materials, headings, clash of opinions, debatability, and controversy. Ilyin, who possessed the universal skills of a newspaper professional, author of texts, editor, layout designer, executive secretary and even proofreader, began to create a new, never before existing, discussion page of Pravda. On this wave, he soon became a member of the editorial board, deputy chief editor for domestic policy ^[1] .

The political and philosophical views of Ilyin, with which he remained faithful to the end of his life, were based on the ideas of the founder of the Soviet state, Vladimir Lenin . Ilyin took part in the preparation of the "Gorbachev" draft CPSU Program (1990-1991). In 1991 he was elected a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the RSFSR; was elected a member of the Coordinating Council of the All-Russian public movement "People's Patriotic Union of Russia" (1996).

In the early 1990s, Ilyin brought in emigration writers and dissident philosophers Vladimir Maximov and Alexander Zinoviev , who spoke in the newspaper with sharp criticism of Boris Yeltsin’s reforms, to collaborate in Pravda. On this basis, a conflict arose between Ilyin and Zyuganov, who demanded that the anti-communist Zinoviev not be printed in Pravda ^[2] .

In October 1993, Ilyin lost the first alternative election to Pravda’s chief editor, Viktor Linnik , but was ahead of Gennady Seleznev . In early 1994, after Linnik was ousted by Pravda shareholders as the family of Greek businessmen Yannikosov and Seleznev was elected deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, Ilyin was elected editor-in-chief as a result of new elections. After the 1996 presidential elections in Russia and the quarrel between Ilyin and Yannikos, Pravda had problems with financing, the daily newspaper was suspended. Instead, a Pravda-5 weekly issue on Fridays was published from Social Democratic positions (edited by Vladimir Ryashin), which Ilyin did not approve of. By the fall of 1996, when the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation joined the Pravda co-founders, the financing of the main communist issue by party structures was resumed. However, the newspaper edited by Ilyin gradually lost its independence, became dependent on the party functionaries of the Communist Party, which affected the content and appearance of the publication, as well as the resolution of personnel issues. Since that time, the contradictions between Ilyin and Zyuganov ^{[2] [4]} gradually began to grow.

At an extraordinary plenum of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation in May 2002, Ilyin opposed the exclusion of Gennady Seleznev , Svetlana Goryacheva and Nikolai Gubenko from the party, published a sensational interview with Goryacheva in the Pravda about disagreements in the party leadership, and a number of other materials criticizing the Central Committee of the Communist Party.

In April 2003, at the request of the Communist Party leadership and without advice from the creative team, Ilyin was dismissed from his post as editor-in-chief of Pravda ^[2] .

According to Anatoly Baranov ,

“The editor-in-chief, Alexander Ilyin, published in a newspaper that he headed, materials with which he himself did not quite agree, but considered it necessary to give an opportunity to express a different point of view. A. A. Ilyin's employees could have their own point of view on the creative process, on the development of the newspaper and on Ilyin himself. This did not stop them from publishing in Pravda and being in its state. All this is completely unthinkable for the modern media world, where completely different relations prevail ” ^[1] .

Ilyin wrote several books of fiction, was the author, compiler and editor of collections on historical and scientific topics. Among them - the collection "Lesson gives history", published in a circulation of 200 thousand copies, "The Union is indestructible", "10th height", the photo album "Epochs visible features", "Lenin in Smolny. 124 days ”and others. In Pravda, Ilyin published several hundred journalistic articles, including about 20 chapters of the journalistic novel “There Is No Sadder Story ...”.

The last collection of poems by Ilyin “Russian Shrines Have” was published in 2004 ^[3] .

The author of the fundamental monograph “Gennady Zyuganov:“ Truth “on the Leader” (December 2004 ). The voluminous monograph traces the history of the country's main communist newspaper from 1912 to 2003, from the left internal party positions provides a detailed critical analysis of the personality of the Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov (with whom Ilyin was associated for many years of friendship and party work), he explores the phenomenon of leadershipism revived in the Communist Party in the post-communist era , analyzes the origins and development of the conflict between the Communist Party and the NPSR ^[2] .

The passion of all life of Ilyin was the history of painting .

For many decades, Ilyin suffered from a rare and steadily progressing blood disease, often lying in hospitals ^[2] . He died on August 14, 2005 in Moscow after a long illness. He was buried at the Troekurovsky cemetery ^{[3] [1]} .

The obituary signed by Zyuganov said: “ Ilyin’s merit is exceptionally great, that Pravda survived with all the incredible trials, becoming the publication of the Communist Party and reviving many of its glorious traditions. Alexander Alekseevich truly spared no effort in the most difficult editorial post ” ^[3] .

• Order of the Red Banner of Labor
• medal "For military valor"
• medal "For Labor Valor"
• Medal of the Ministry of Defense of Russia “For the Strengthening of the Military Commonwealth”.
• Laureate of the USSR Union of Journalists Prize.

Wife Nina Ivanovna Ilyina, chief accountant of Rybkhozbank. This commercial bank was the first creditor of Pravda after the devastating events of August 1991, which became publicly known only after many years. The spouses have a daughter ^[2] - Ilyina Liliya Aleksandrovna, son - Ilyin Aleksey Aleksandrovich, grandchildren - Alexander and Ivan, granddaughter of Varvara.