Konstantin Syomin | |
|---|---|
Константин Сёмин | |
 Syomin in 2019 | |
| Born | (1980-03-16)March 16, 1980 (age 45) |
| Nationality | Russian |
| Education | Ural State University New York University |
| Alma mater | Ural State University |
| Occupation(s) | Journalist,TV presenter,blogger,documentary filmmaker |
| Spouse | Marina Romanyukha |
| Awards | Medal of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" |
| Website | agitblog |
Konstantin Viktorovich Syomin (often spelledKonstantin Semin,Russian:Константин Викторович Сёмин) is a Russian journalist, blogger and former TV presenter.
Konstantin Syomin was born in 1980 in Sverdlovsk (modernYekaterinburg). After graduating from the special school with in-depth study of English in 1996, he entered theUral State University. While still a student, he began working on TV. During one of his trips toChechnya as a reporter forSverdlovsk Oblast TV channel (OTV), an accident occurred. Wanting to shoot a pit with poisonous gases, Konstantin lost consciousness. Lieutenant Yury Ilchenko ofOMON died saving Konstantin's life.[1]
From November 2000 Syomin was a correspondent for theVesti program on RTR channel (currentlyRussia-1). In 2004–07 he was the chiefforeign correspondent ofVGTRK in the US basing inNew York City. In 2007–10 Syomin became one of Vesti's hosts, and he also hosted night news program Vesti Plus.[2]
In June 2007 he was awarded theMedal of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" 2nd class.[3] In 2012 he graduated from theNew York University.[4][5] From April 2014 to March 2019, he was the author and host ofAgitProp ("agitation and propaganda") program onRussia-24 channel, owned by VGTRK. On 1 April 2019, he announced the closure of AgitProp. The journalist complained about the management of "Russia-24", placing the episodes dedicated to the domestic policy issues early in the morning or late at night.[6]
On February 21, 2008, while commenting on theSerbian protests against Kosovo's declaration of independence in his Vesti Plus program, Syomin justified the2003 assassination of Serbian Prime MinisterZoran Đinđić, opining that Đinđić was a Western puppet who received "a well-deserved bullet".[7]
His comments provoked an outcry in Serbia. The next day, on February 22, theSerbian embassy in Moscow demanded an explanation from the TV company. The Serbian diplomats wondered whether the scandalous statement was the position of the state television or Syomin's personal viewpoint. However, they were unable to reach the company's management. On February 23, Serbian Foreign MinisterVuk Jeremić called his Russian counterpartSergei Lavrov over the issue and sent a letter of protest to the All-Russia State Television and Radio Company. On February 25, theLiberal Democratic minority faction in the Serbian parliament accused Russia of gross interference in the domestic affairs of Serbia and proposed to recall the ambassador from Moscow unless Russia apologizes. President Boris Tadić promised to touch the issue on February 25, during the scheduled visit of First Deputy Prime Minister of Russia and presidential candidateDmitry Medvedev toBelgrade behind closed doors. After the talks, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov publicly dismissed Syomin's comments voiced on state-run television as nonsense and his personal opinion. However, despite the scandal, Syomin continued his work as a TV host, and the company has not commented on the issue.[8][9][10][11][12]
Syomin considers himself a Marxist and a communist, and said that "it took a very long time to come to this" and was initially a "staunch liberal".[13]
In the fall of 2017, Syomin "took part" in the presidential primaries of theLeft Front, but lost toPavel Grudinin. Syomin himself says that he found out about this "participation" after the fact, he was added to the list without asking.[14]