Vitaly Nikitich Ignatenko (; born 19 April 1941) is a Russian journalist and politician who had been the head of ITAR-TASS news agency from 1993 until 2012 and had served in the first cabinet of Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin from 1995 to 1997 as deputy prime minister. He has also been a member of different journalism organizations and foundations promoting the Russian language and Russian-speaking press.
Biography Graduating from Moscow State University with a degree in journalism, he worked for the Komsomolskaya Pravda and Novoye Vremya newspapers in the 1980s.Vitaly Ignatenko. Russian World Foundation. Retrieved 10 May 2018 From 1990 to 1991 he served as the press secretary of Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev.Palazchenko (2010), p. 377
On June 2, 1995, Ignatenko was appointed Deputy Chairman of Government of the Russian Federation for media affairs. He worked in coordination with fellow deputy chairman Sergei Shakhrai.Newsline – June 2, 1995. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Retrieved 10 May 2018. In 1997, during the Tajikistani Civil War, he was in contact with a local warlord to organize the release of foreign hostages.Tajikistan: Exchange Of Hostages Reported Underway. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 10 February 1997. Retrieved 10 May 2018.BEGIN SWAPPING HOSTAGES FOR REBELS. Deseret News. Published 14 February 1997. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
In September 2012 Ignatenko was replaced as head of ITAR-TASS news agency.Ignatenko dismissed as a director general of ITAR-TASS. News.az. Published 18 September 2012. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
He is also a UNESCO Goodwill AmbassadorVitaly Igantenko. UNESCO. Retrieved 10 May 2018. and President of the World Association of Russian Press.Lukashenko meets with Ignatenko and Gusman, gives interview to TASS. Official website of Belarusian government. Published 12 July 2017. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
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