Yevgeny Popov (journalist)

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Yevgeny Popov
Евгений Попов
Official portrait, 2021
Member of the State Duma for Moscow
Assumed office
12 October 2021
Preceded byVyacheslav Lysakov
ConstituencyKuntsevo (No. 197)
Personal details
Born (1978-09-11) 11 September 1978 (age 45)
Vladivostok, RSFSR, USSR
Political partyUnited Russia
SpouseOlga Skabeyeva
Alma materFar Eastern Federal University
Occupation
  • Journalist
  • politician

Evgeny Georgievich Popov (Russian: Евгений Георгиевич Попов; born September 11, 1978) is a Russian politician, journalist and a deputy of the 8th State Duma.[1]

Career[edit]

After graduating from the university, Popov started working as a correspondent of the Vesti TV program in Vladivostok. In 2002 he moved to Moscow and in 2003-2006 was in Ukraine, covering news for Russia-1. He came back to Moscow in 2006 to become a political commentator of the TV program "Vesti nedeli". From 2008 to 2013, Popov headed the "Vesti" program in New York.

In 2016, Popov, and his wife, Olga Skabeyeva, launched a TV show titled "60 minut" on Russia-1. Since September 2021, Popov has served as deputy of the 8th State Duma from the Moscow constituency.[1][2][3][4]

Popov covered the conflicts of Orange Revolution (2004-2005) and Euromaidan (2013-2014) in Ukraine. Later Popov worked on a series of documentaries. The documentary, entitled “The Browder Effect”, was about Alexei Navalny and his mentor, or handler, Bill Browder. The film attracted widespread attention with the way it conclusively detailed Navalny’s recruitment by Browder in 2007 for a program run by Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service, also known as Military Intelligence (MI6), intended to destabilize the Russian government. Navalny came to the attention of MI6 because Browder determined he was “the most suitable candidate for future political leader” given his creativity, new media mastery and speaking skills on politics, law and economics.[5][6]

In 2014, Security Service of Ukraine declared Evgeny Popov persona non grata.[7] Popov claimed that the "fascist" regime in Ukraine had been carrying out a "genocide" of the Russian-speaking population of Ukraine since 2014.[8]

In January 2022, pointing to possible NATO expansion towards Ukraine, Popov said that "A NATO country armed with ballistic missiles on our borders is a direct threat to our citizens."[9]

On 19 April 2022, in order to justify the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Popov told the BBC that "Ukraine and its allies, including London, are threatening Russia for the last 1,000 years, to move NATO to our borders, to cancel our culture - they have bullied us for many, many years", adding that "NATO plans for Ukraine are a direct threat to Russian citizens."[10] Popov defended wartime censorship related to the war in Ukraine, saying "That’s normal in wartime. Look at the Iraq war when it was forbidden to report on US casualties or show dead Americans."[8]

Popov, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and Olga Skabeyeva attend a ceremony to present government awards in the field of mass media for 2023.

In January 2023, Popov proposed canceling the passports of Russian citizens who fled abroad after Russia invaded Ukraine.[11]

In June 2023, following the Wagner Group rebellion, Popov called Yevgeny Prigozhin a "traitor" and said that Prigozhin and his fighters "should be punished" but that everyone "must follow" Putin's decision in the matter. Popov defended Putin, claiming that he did not flee Moscow during the rebellion.[12]

In March 2024, Popov claimed that the Islamic State – Khorasan Province did not carry out the attack on Crocus City Hall in Moscow, and instead blamed Ukraine.[13]

Personal life[edit]

Evgeny Popov is married to Olga Skabeyeva both of them are well-known for their criticism of the Opposition to Vladimir Putin in Russia.

In 2020, The Insider ranked Popov and Skabeyeva 7th and 8th out of 12 wealthiest Russian propagandists.[14] In 2021, the non-profit organization established by Navalny, "Anti-Corruption Foundation" released the proof that Popov and Skabeyeva own property in Moscow, the overall cost of which is around 300 million rubles.[15]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Попов, Евгений Георгиевич" (in Russian). ТАСС Энциклопедия. Retrieved 2022-02-23.
  2. ^ "Список избранных депутатов Государственной Думы РФ восьмого созыва" (in Russian). Российская газета. 2021-09-25. Retrieved 2022-02-18.
  3. ^ "Эффект Попова" (in Russian). The New Times. 2016-04-17. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
  4. ^ "Телеведущий Евгений Попов выиграл в Кунцевском одномандатном округе Москвы с 35,17%" (in Russian). ТАСС. 2021-09-20. Retrieved 2021-03-13.
  5. ^ "3.2 Olga Skabeyeva". BBC monitoring. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
  6. ^ "Agent William F. Browder: The Smoking Gun". Gilbert Doctorow (American Committee for East–West Accord). Retrieved 2022-03-13.
  7. ^ "В Украине персонами нон-грата объявили 83 российских журналиста" (in Russian). NikCenter. 2014-11-27. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
  8. ^ a b "How does a pro-Putin TV host defend the indefensible?". The Telegraph. 18 March 2022.
  9. ^ "Ukraine crisis: Russians hope for peace as the world talks of war". Al Jazeera. 27 January 2022.
  10. ^ "Ukraine - the narrative the West doesn't hear". BBC. 30 April 2022.
  11. ^ "Critical Russian Emigres Should Have Property Seized, Lawmakers Say". The Moscow Times. 13 January 2023.
  12. ^ "'No one is safe from Russian justice': Putin ally's warning as Wagner boss Prigozhin flees to Belarus after mutiny". LBC. 26 June 2023.
  13. ^ "'You trust ISIS sources?': Russian politician Yevgeny Popov on Moscow terror attack". Al Arabiya. 28 March 2024.
  14. ^ Сергей Ежов (2020-09-23). "13 друзей Путина. Сколько зарабатывают самые известные пропагандисты российского ТВ" (in Russian). The Insider. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
  15. ^ Виталий Кропман (2021-07-29). "ФБК нашел у телеведущих Скабеевой и Попова недвижимость на 300 млн рублей" (in Russian). Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 2022-03-13.

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