Modern Russian journalism is going through hard times. There are not so many people on the information scene who are respected by the thinking part of society. All the brighter against this background look some bright exceptions. Let us take a closer look at the personality of the independent war journalist Arkady Babchenko.
Facts from the biography
The future war correspondent Arkady Babchenko was born in 1977 in an intelligent Moscow family. Of decisive importance in his future fate was the draft in 1995 for active military service. This coincided with the beginning of the first Chechen war, to which he was destined to become a participant.
In the
second Chechen war, Arkady Babchenko took part already in the status of a contractor. He served in the
motorized rifle troops, and later - as the commander of the calculation of a grenade launcher platoon. In reserve, dismissed as a foreman. But in the interval between the two Chechen campaigns, he managed to graduate from the law faculty with a bachelor’s degree in international law. He began to work as a military columnist in a number of central publications and on television. Engaged in literary work.
Arkady Babchenko, books about the war
The author of books on the Chechen wars himself says that he began to write in order not just to lose his mind from the emotions and memories accumulated in his soul. About the bloody massacre in the North Caucasus and lawlessness in the deep rear. Perhaps the author did not count on the noisy success of his works, nevertheless he followed. Readers of periodicals did not disregard the materials, the author of which was Arkady Babchenko. Reviews about them came to the editorial office in large numbers, the reading public was waiting for continuation. And the author did not deceive her expectations.
In total, based on materials about the Chechen wars, Arkady Babchenko published three books: Ten Series on the War, God's Man and Alkhan-Yurt. But he was not going to limit himself only to literary activity.
South Ossetia
Two Chechen wars were not the last for the young writer. But Arkady Babchenko, a journalist, is already taking part in the armed conflict in August 2008 in South Ossetia. He no longer wants to pick up weapons and is present at the forefront only with a camera and laptop. The reports and photographs of the independent correspondent had a significant resonance and were widely replicated both in the virtual space and by the mass media of many countries of the world.
The image of this war in public opinion was largely shaped as it was seen by Arkady Babchenko, a journalist from Novaya Gazeta. And this picture strongly differed from the idea of it, which was imposed by official propaganda.
Opposition politician
After the war in Georgia, Arkady Babchenko recklessly leaves for social and political activities. In the information space, he acts as a freelance journalist and blogger. His sharp journalistic materials about Russian reality find a lively response from readers, constantly cause clashes of conflicting opinions. Over the course of several years, his texts have reached leading positions in the citation rating, and their author has become a leader in public opinion. In the late fall of 2011, after the falsification of the State Duma elections, public activity spilled out onto the streets of the capital. Arkady Babchenko at that time was in the forefront of the opposition and actively participated in organizing protests.
One of his most extravagant ideas was the proposal to use snowplows in confrontation with the authorities. For calling for riots, the author of this idea was awarded a criminal case. It is not closed to this day.
Kiev Maidan and the war in eastern Ukraine
The revolutionary events in Kiev in the winter of 2014, of course, could not leave the military journalist indifferent. Arkady Babchenko was present at the Kiev Maidan of Independence for all three months, while a confrontation with the authorities lasted there. Without hiding his sympathies for the rebellious Ukrainian people, the journalist basically did not take up arms. Even when he found himself in the hottest spots, such as the shooting of a forward detachment on Institutskaya Street on February 20, the reporter had only a camera in his hands. Over the course of the day, he aired several times from the very center of events and published reports in virtual space.
After the victory of the revolution on the Maidan, the calm in Ukraine did not last very long. In early summer 2014, a bloody war unfolded in eastern Ukraine. And war correspondent Arkady Babchenko is once again at her epicenter. As usual, he climbs into the heat. At the front, a reporter is present from the Ukrainian armed forces. And by coincidence, he was almost killed by the Ukrainian military. Upon his return to Russia, he was severely beaten and threatened with execution, mistaking him for a spy. After everything that happened to him, the journalist does not intend to give up his specialization in the field of military reporting. And he considers all costs to be completely logical and relates them to the sphere of professional risks.
Arkady Babchenko, "War"
A significant event in Russian literary life was the publication of Arkady Babchenko's book "War". This happened in the current 2015 year. A book in the genre of documentary prose has been accepted with interest by both ordinary readers and a significant part of literary criticism. The basis of the collection was previously published materials on the daily realities of the Chechen war. But they are supplemented by today's comments and reflections, in which the author makes an attempt to rethink old events in a new way. The unconditional semantic core of the narrative is the author's fierce rejection of war as such. And Arkady Babchenko learned to express his thoughts very intelligibly. Those who read his book carefully may disappear for a long time the desire to go to some war and directly take part in the events depicted in it. Babchenko's previous books have been translated into foreign languages and published in significant editions in many countries of the world. There is no doubt that the "War" will also be read.