Alexander Glebovich Nevzorov (; born on 3 August 1958) is a Russian and Ukrainian television journalist, film director and a former member of the Russian State Duma. He has been continuously speaking out against the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Biography Nevzorov was born on 3 August 1958 in Leningrad.
He started working for the Leningrad television in 1985.«Звезды» телевидения From December 1987 to 1993, he hosted the program 600 Seconds on the Leningrad TV channel, aired then all over the Soviet Union.Biography (in Russian)The Struggle for Control over Soviet Television by Elena Androunas, Journal of Communication 41.2, 185–200 (June 1991).Сюжет // «Взгляд» On 12 December 1990 he was shot and wounded during a meeting with someone who pretended to have sensitive documents to offer.Popular Soviet TV Journalist Reported Shot, Reuters, 14 December 1990. In late 1991 his program was taken off the air twice and later gradually lost its popularity.Если завтра во главе России встанет буддист, чиновничья братия немедленно побежит заказывать себе оранжевые сари, начнёт подыскивать местечки для определенных знаков и будет косноязычно приветствовать друг друга словами: «Ом мани падме хум» During the 1991 coup d'état attempt, Nevzorov supported the State Committee on the State of Emergency, the organ of the coupists. Nevzorov formed the Nashi movement (not to be confused with the later pro-Putin youth movement of the same name). The broadcast was finally closed down in the aftermath of Yeltsin's victory in his confrontation with the Russian Supreme Soviet (Nevzorov had supported the anti-Yeltsin side).
Nevzorov worked as a reporter in the Yugoslav Wars and the Transnistrian War in 1992–1993.
In the 1993 campaign, Nevzorov was elected deputy in the State Duma of the Russian Federation for the first time, and after that was re-elected as an independent deputy three times, serving until the 2007 elections when the single constituency seats were abolished.
He served as an adviser on film, TV and radio to Vladimir Yakovlev during the latter's tenure as the Governor (mayor) of Saint Petersburg.
In 1994 Nevzorov was a vocal supporter of the initiation of the First Chechen War. In 1997 he wrote and directed the TV film Chistilishche ("Purgatory") about the Chechen war, co-produced with Boris Berezovsky and released in March 1998.Russell, John. Chechnya – Russia's 'war on Terror', Routledge (publisher), 2007, p. 64. As the Chechen War dragged on, his views changed and he became skeptical of Russian imperialism. He regretted his past nationalist positions, and said in 2015 about his involvement in Nashi:
In 2003 Nevzorov collaborated with the ORT TV channel and often appeared as a political commentator on Sergey Dorenko's Saturday night news show.
In 2012, Nevzorov supported Vladimir Putin during his presidential campaign, and was his authorised representative.
In 2014 Nevzorov opposed the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation.
Russian invasion of Ukraine In a video posted to YouTube on 11 April 2021, during the build-up of Russian forces near the Ukrainian borders, Nevzorov predicted that the future Russian invasion of Ukraine is inevitable and will end in tragedy and humiliation for Russia. He also predicted fierce Ukrainian resistance.
After the Russian invasion of Ukraine began in earnest, Nevzorov was charged on 22 March 2022 under Russia's "false information" law after he published information that Russian forces had shelled a maternity hospital in Mariupol. He could be sentenced to up to 15 years in prison. Nevzorov said that Vladimir Putin's "regime is not going to spare anyone, and that any attempts to comprehend the criminal war [in Ukraine] will end in prison." Nevzorov's wife Lidia stated on social media that her husband was in Israel.
On 22 April 2022, Nevzorov was added by the Russian government to the list of individuals acting as foreign agents.
In June 2022, Nevzorov and his wife Lidia submitted an application to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine for Ukrainian citizenship. Russian journalist Nevzorov and his wife want Ukrainian citizenship - the media, UNIAN (3 June 2022) On 3 June, Nevzorov and the State Migration Service of Ukraine confirmed that Nevzorov and his wife had received Ukrainian citizenship. The Migration Service confirmed that the President had granted Ukrainian citizenship to Nevzorov, Ukrinform (3 June 2022) On 6 June, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Oleksiy Danilov stated that Nevzorov did not yet have citizenship, but that he had only applied for it.
In March 2025, Nevzorov and his wife were added to the Rosfinmonitoring list of terrorists and extremists.
Views and positions In 1990s Nevzorov was an Orthodox Christian, but became atheist in later life and became critical of religion. He began criticize Russian Orthodox ChurchАлекс. Невзоров — «Отдадим всё церкви?» (5-й канал)] and opposed the introduction of "Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture" in Russian schools.
Nevzorov accused ROC clergy members of child sexual abuse, and of homosexuality,Россия — светское государство // НТВ «Честный понедельник» с Сергеем Минаевым от 3 октября 2011 года and tried to publish a book about it. In 2011, Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin rejected his accusations in a statement, and called him a liar,Сенчукова М. Прот. Всеволод Чаплин: «Уверен, у Невзорова нет доказательств обвинений духовенства в педофилии» // Православие и мир, 05.10.2011 after which Nevzorov promised to write and publish the book. In a 2013 interview with Ksenia Sobchak on the TV Rain, Nevzorov claimed that the book was based on "existing documents" rather than being his own original work, and that, by his own account, he won't add anything of his own to the book.Александр Невзоров о зачистке путинского режима, войне с Собчаком и педофилии в РПЦ // телеканал «Дождь», 21.02.2013
Nevzorov approves euthanasia, abortions, considering it as 'normal,' and believes that every person has the right to commit suicide.Боброва Е. Александр Невзоров: Не надо морочить себе голову глупостями об общественном благе // Российская газета, 08.08.2011 He considers Russian annexation of Crimea to be "looting," yet claims he is not a moralist and sees "nothing wrong with looting".Александр Невзоров: Безумцев нет в Кремле — они прагматики — Александр Невзоров // Сноб.ру
Nevzorov was a monarchist, held right-wing views, and in 1990s posed in the military uniform of the Tsarist army.
Notes
References
External links
Official website
A Onetime Star of Soviet TV Warns of the 'Plague' of Nationalism. The New York Times. 19 July 2019.