Vitaly Ignatenko: “Every morning I write a page of poems for my wife”

This Wednesday marks the 82nd anniversary of the living legend of Russian journalism, Vitaly Ignatenko, the former editor-in-chief of Novoe Vremya, the most striking foreign policy weekly of late Soviet times, the former press secretary of the President of the USSR, the former general director of ITAR-TASS and the former Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation. But do not think that this is a congratulation to a veteran of the profession, who has long been on a well-deserved rest. This is a congratulation to the current media manager – the general director of the Public Television of Russia TV channel. Vitaly Ignatenko is a convincing proof that age is not so much a physiological as a psychological category. Some people dream of retiring at the age of 50. And someone – like, for example, Vitaly Nikitich – remains a model of dynamism, a person who is equal to, listened to, admired.

“What does your typical daily routine look like?” I ask Vitaly Ignatenko, not expecting, to be completely honest, to hear something particularly original in response. Mistake, big mistake. Being familiar with Vitaly Nikitich for God knows how many years, I should have guessed in advance that unoriginality and Ignatenko are incompatible concepts. However, judge for yourself. Here is the answer of the birthday man: “I get up every day at 6 in the morning and the first thing I do is write a page of poems for my wife. I have been doing this for 56 years! During this time, we have accumulated several dozen albums with my poems!

Further, the “standard day” of Vitaly Ignatenko does not look so romantic, but still extremely impressive for a person of any age. “Like everyone else, covid has disrupted my usual schedule. But now he is recovering. I work out at the fitness club. I leave for work at eight in the morning. At ten o’clock I’m there. Right in front of you, I now had colleagues who are planning the program of our TV channel for three or four weeks in advance.

I also now have two film crews on the Northern Sea Route (“We have minus thirty! There is a blizzard in Norilsk!”) We want to go from Murmansk to Pevek. If I don’t have students that day, then I leave the office at five or six in the evening. But I don’t have to go straight home: I have a lot of external business meetings. Lots of business phone calls. For example, yesterday I received the last call at work at 22.03.

Where does Vitaly Ignatenko get so much strength and energy from? And who became an example for him in terms of work ethics? In principle, I could have guessed the answer of the birthday boy in advance: “My mother, over the age of 80, continued to work as a teacher in a forest school – a school for children with poor health. I remember she was already walking with a cane. I told her: “Quit work! My brother and I will provide everything for you!” But she stopped working only when she could no longer walk at all. My father, until he was struck by a serious illness, was the same. For me, this is both an example and a challenge. If the older generation, being in an incomparably more difficult situation than we, could, then why can’t we?”

And who became for Vitaly Nikitich a teacher, an example and a guide in his adult professional life? To my deep pleasure, we are starting to talk about a man whom I remember with great warmth and respect – former Prime Minister of Russia Viktor Chernomyrdin. Vitaly Ignatenko was his deputy from 1995-1997, while retaining the position of general director of ITAR-TASS.

This is what his life looked like in those years: “I arrived at TASS by 9 am, and at 5-6 pm I left for the White House. And around 9 pm, Viktor Stepanovich usually called and called me to his place along with his other deputies. We watched the day go by together. He liked clear reports – without lyrics. Sometimes we stayed up long after midnight. Viktor Stepanovich called these meetings “the small Council of People’s Commissars.”

Today, Viktor Chernomyrdin is mostly remembered as the author of his famous aphorisms. Vitaly Ignatenko considers this wrong: “It jars me. He was a much deeper and more complex person. He never left work if there were some unconsidered documents on his desk. In my memory, he never said the phrase: “There is no other person’s misfortune.” But this principle was the key to all his activities.

In 1995, he put his fate on the line when he negotiated with the terrorist Shamil Basayev, who had taken hostages in Budyonnovsk. How he was criticized for it! But I believe that he then saved both 1,500 hostages and the country as a whole. I remember how a year later we went with him to Budyonnovsk. During this visit, everything inside me was trembling. For every 20 words of gratitude, he heard 70 words of reproach. All the way back to Moscow, he silently looked out the window of the plane. I sat opposite and was afraid to disturb this state of his. I remember one more of our visits to the North Caucasus. Late at night there was a terrorist attack, and early in the morning we were already on the plane.”

Today’s professional life of Vitaly Ignatenko, of course, is not as “heated” as during his time in government. But, you see, at the age of 80, to plunge into a new professional element for yourself – television – is also an act from the category of extraordinary. What, besides the memory of the example of older generations, makes you do such extraordinary things? According to Vitaly Nikitich, this is primarily a feeling of being in demand: “If you feel that you are needed, it strengthens you, infuses you with health.” And the example that our birthday boy sets for all of us is “pouring health into me!” I’m proud of you, Vitaly Nikitich – I’m proud of you and to the best of my ability I try to look up to you!

PS Leaving the office of the general director of the OTR channel, I noticed a framed document hanging on the wall in a place of honor – congratulations from Mikhail Zhvanetsky in honor of the 60th birthday of Vitaly Ignatenko. With the kind permission of Vitaly Nikitich, I am publishing the full text of this document.

Dear Vitaly Nikitich!

Congratulations on your 60th birthday.

It is very interesting to watch how all your friends occupy the years you left behind.

Happiness is when you are understood. Happiness is when you don’t understand anything.

We went through both.

You, Nikitich, have the main thing – no one talks bad about you. This is more important than speaking well. This is sincere.

Even I, whom you first helped publish the first book, will not say bad things about you …

It is a great pleasure to see you and your wife – tall, slender, tanned and clean – in the midst of the height of the political struggle and PR.

Vitaly Nikitich, in order to live well with us, we must live well.

One must have a good idea of ​​the past and the future, then the present will seem like paradise.

We must not look for a way out of the situation; many generations of thinkers have ruined their lives for this.

Not trying alone to improve the lives of millions leads to accusations of theft.

Do not try to solve the land and other problems – because it turns out that everything has been settled long ago and quietly, and everyone has been living quietly for a long time.

And only a lone fighter demands the essence of the problem, from which he finds not a solution, but enemies, and he is proud of this all his life.

Don’t let people try!

Crowds of heroes of the struggle for justice, for freedom of speech, for democracy walk proudly with no visible result, except for the cottage on Rublyovka, which, apparently, is an excellent result. And this is much better than new prisons for dissenters.

You see, doubting, you get to the truth, without doubting – to the position! What’s better?

Again, I don’t know.

Nikitich Vitaly!

Sixty is already above average duration. Pull on under the warm supervision of friends. True, these additional years fly by at a speed that largely destroys their advantage.

I leave you to find a compromise. Scooping up prescriptions, I look for your address and, a little embarrassed, I send you a fax.