Sergey Leonidovich Dorenko (; 18 October 1959 – 9 May 2019) was a Russian TV and radio journalist, known for hosting a weekly news commentary program in 1999–2000.
Biography
1980s
In 1982, Dorenko graduated from
People's Friendship University of Russia in
Moscow
Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
, and served as a
Portuguese-
Russian translator in
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola, is a country on the west-Central Africa, central coast of Southern Africa. It is the second-largest Portuguese-speaking world, Portuguese-speaking (Lusophone) country in both total area and List of c ...
. In June 1984, he was drafted to the
military
A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...
, but was discharged in January 1985 due to health problems.
In April 1985, Dorenko became an employee of
Gosteleradio
The State Committee of Television and Radio Broadcasting of the Soviet Union ( Russian: Государственный комитет СССР по телевидению и радиовещанию) commonly known as Gosteleradio of the USSR (Г ...
(State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company, the only TV and radio broadcaster in the
Soviet Union
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
).
1990s
Between 1996 and 1999, he hosted ''
Vremya
''Vremya'' (, lit. "Time") is the main evening newscast in Russia, airing on Channel One Russia (Russian: , Pervy kanal) and previously on Programme One of the Central Television of the USSR (CT USSR, Russian: ). The programme has been on th ...
'', a news commentary program on
ORT. In September 1999, Dorenko hosted the weekly ''Sergey Dorenko Show'' on Saturdays at 9pm, and in November 1999 became a Deputy Director General of ORT. He was critical of the
Mayor of Moscow
The Mayor of Moscow () is the head and the highest-ranking official of Moscow, who leads the Government of Moscow, the main executive body of the city.
Moscow is both a city and separate federal subject, according to the Constitution of ...
,
Yuriy Luzhkov,
Yevgeny Primakov
Yevgeny Maksimovich Primakov (29 October 1929 – 26 June 2015, ) was a Russian politician and diplomat who served as Prime Minister of Russia from 1998 to 1999. During his long career, he also served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1996 to ...
and their party
Fatherland-All Russia, who were major opponents of
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Ru ...
and the pro-Putin party
Unity during the 1999
State Duma
The State Duma is the lower house of the Federal Assembly (Russia), Federal Assembly of Russia, with the upper house being the Federation Council (Russia), Federation Council. It was established by the Constitution of Russia, Constitution of t ...
electoral campaign
A political campaign is an organized effort which seeks to influence the decision making progress within a specific group. In democracies, political campaigns often refer to electoral campaigns, by which representatives are chosen or referen ...
. In his program, collages of Luzhkov in women's dress were shown. After that, Dorenko was widely nicknamed "TV Hitman" in the media.
From September 1999 to September 2000, Dorenko hosted the ''
Author's Program of Sergey Dorenko''. Before the
1999 Duma elections, the program worked against the leaders of the
Fatherland - All Russia bloc,
Yury Luzhkov, then mayor of Moscow, and
Yevgeny Primakov
Yevgeny Maksimovich Primakov (29 October 1929 – 26 June 2015, ) was a Russian politician and diplomat who served as Prime Minister of Russia from 1998 to 1999. During his long career, he also served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1996 to ...
. It achieved its goal when the bloc lost the elections to the newly created
United Russia
The All-Russian Political Party United Russia (, ) is the Ruling party, ruling List of political parties in Russia, political party of Russia. As the largest party in the Russian Federation, it holds 325 (or 72.22%) of the 450 seats in the St ...
. Dorenko's sharp criticism of Luzhkov drew much attention, even leading to the temporary closure of the program. On his program, Dorenko showed a video filmed from a helicopter of Luzhkov's real estate in the
Moscow Oblast
Moscow Oblast (, , informally known as , ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). With a population of 8,524,665 (Russian Census (2021), 2021 Census) living in an area of , it is one of the most densely populate ...
, revealed Luzhkov's financial secrets, and circulated a photograph of Luzhkov in the company of the crime boss
Yaponchik). Dorenko also accused Luzhkov of involvement in the murder of American businessman
Paul Tatum in 1996. Dorenko's phrase "you would think: what does Luzhkov have to do with this?", which accompanied his accusations, became widely known. The 24 October 1999 broadcast of the program also became memorable: it revealed some details about the state of Yevgeny Primakov's health, as a result of which Primakov dropped out of the race for the presidency of the Russian Federation, and Dorenko received the nickname "telekiller" from his colleagues.
2000s
On 2 September 2000, Dorenko's program criticized the government's handling of the sinking of the ''
Kursk
Kursk (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Kursk Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Kur (Kursk Oblast), Kur, Tuskar, and Seym (river), Seym rivers. It has a population of
Kursk ...
'' submarine based on materials from a business trip to the
Vidyayevo garrison. In particular, the program criticized President
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Ru ...
. Soon afterward, his program was canceled in a scandal,
and Dorenko alleged that this resulted from pressure from
the Kremlin.
According to
BBC News
BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...
, Dorenko told the
Echo of Moscow radio at the time that
The director of the
ORT network,
Konstantin Ernst
Konstantin Lvovich Ernst (; born 6 February 1961) is a Russian media manager, producer and TV host. He is currently the CEO of Channel One Russia.
Biography Early years and education
His father Lev Konstantinovich Ernst, of History of Germa ...
, insisted that contrary to Dorenko's allegations, the government had not been involved in the change and that he made the decision to cancel the show because Dorenko had refused to stop discussing the government's plan to nationalize media magnate
Boris Berezovsky's 49% stake in the network.
Ernst noted,
Following this incident, Dorenko became a vocal critic of
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Ru ...
's rule and did not work for Russian television again. Instead, he hosted radio programs for Echo of Moscow.
On 7 September 2000,
Boris Berezovsky transferred his controllable stake in ORT to journalists and representatives of the creative intelligentsia, including Dorenko. Despite the program's closure, until 31 January 2001, Dorenko was listed as deputy general director of ORT until he was fired due to the "expiration of the contract."
In September 2001, Dorenko tried to resume his program on
Channel Three (OJSC TRVK Moskovia) instead of ORT. A distinctive feature of the program in the new format was the dialogue between Dorenko and the townspeople who gathered in one of the city squares at a free microphone (in live mode). The program ran for only two months and was closed in November.
In 2001, Dorenko was accused in a criminal case of
hooliganism
Hooliganism is disruptive or unlawful behavior such as rioting, bullying and vandalism, often in connection with crowds at sporting events. A hooligan is a person that engages in illicit reckless behaviors and is a public nuisance.
Etymology ...
: Dorenko, on a motorcycle, drove into a
captain of the first rank from the General Staff of the
Russian Navy
The Russian Navy is the Navy, naval arm of the Russian Armed Forces. It has existed in various forms since 1696. Its present iteration was formed in January 1992 when it succeeded the Navy of the Commonwealth of Independent States (which had i ...
, Valery Nikitin, who happened to be in Dorenko's path, accompanied by two police officers. Dorenko stated that Nikitin kicked the motorcycle. Despite the "minor harm" inflicted on Nikitin, Dorenko was accused first of attempted murder and then of "hooliganism with a weapon." Dorenko faced 4 to 8 years in prison. However, in his own words, thanks to the intercession of the then-official of the Presidential Administration,
Igor Sechin
Igor Ivanovich Sechin (; born 7 September 1960) is a Russian entrepreneur and a government official, considered a close ally and "de facto deputy" of Vladimir Putin.
Sechin has been a confidant of Russian leader Vladimir Putin since the early ...
, he received four years of probation.
On 30 September 2003, in
Stavropol Krai, Dorenko joined the
Communist Party of the Russian Federation
The Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF; ) is a communist political party in Russia that officially adheres to Marxist–Leninist philosophy. It is the second-largest political party in Russia after United Russia. The youth o ...
.
In 2004, in
Kyiv
Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...
, Dorenko negotiated with the management of the Ukrainian television channel
NTN about cooperation. In December 2004, during the
Orange Revolution
The Orange Revolution () was a series of protests that led to political upheaval in Ukraine from late November 2004 to January 2005. It gained momentum primarily due to the initiative of the general population, sparked by the aftermath of the ...
, Dorenko spoke on
Maidan Nezalezhnosti
Maidan Nezalezhnosti (, ) or Independence Square is the central town square of Kyiv, the capital city of Ukraine. One of the city's main squares, it is located on Khreshchatyk Street in the Shevchenko Raion. The square contains the iconic Ind ...
in front of protesters criticizing Vladimir Putin.
From 2004 to 2008, Dorenko collaborated with the Echo of Moscow radio station. According to the charter of the Echo of Moscow editorial office, staff members of the radio station cannot be members of political parties. Therefore, Dorenko, as a member of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, was de jure considered not an employee but a guest, a participant in such programs as "Minority Opinion" and "Morning Spread".
In 2005, Dorenko published ''2008'', a work of
political fiction
Political fiction employs narrative to comment on political events, systems and theories. Works of political fiction, such as political novels, often "directly criticize an existing society or present an alternative, even fant ...
about an upcoming revolution in Russia, featuring President Vladimir Putin and
Igor Sechin
Igor Ivanovich Sechin (; born 7 September 1960) is a Russian entrepreneur and a government official, considered a close ally and "de facto deputy" of Vladimir Putin.
Sechin has been a confidant of Russian leader Vladimir Putin since the early ...
, Dorenko's close ally.
On 23 May 2007, Dorenko provided the
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City.
Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...
and ''
The Wall Street Journal
''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...
'' with the full videotape of an interview he recorded in April 1998 with
Alexander Litvinenko
Alexander Valterovich Litvinenko (30 August 1962 ( at WebCite) – 23 November 2006) was a British-naturalised Russian defector and former officer of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) who specialised in tackling organized crime, ...
and fellow
FSB employees, where the agents appeared to confess that their bosses had ordered them to kill, kidnap or frame prominent Russian politicians and businesspeople, and thus made it publicly available in full for the first time. Only some excerpts of the video had been shown in 1998.
From 2008 to 2013, he was editor-in-chief of the Russian News Service radio station.
2010s
In March 2012, Dorenko announced his resignation from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation.
Since 2014, Dorenko was the founder and chief editor of the Govorit Moskva radio station.
Health issues and death
On 9 May 2019, Dorenko was riding his
Triumph Bonneville motorcycle in the center of
Moscow
Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
when he began veering into oncoming traffic, reportedly after suffering a cardiac event. Dorenko avoided collision with other vehicles, but struck the concrete guard rail on the opposite side of the highway. Dorenko was hospitalized, with doctors attempting to revive him for over an hour. Having never regained consciousness he was pronounced dead. Subsequent reports identified aortic rupture as the cause of Dorenko's death. It was reported that Dorenko had been aware of his diagnosis since 2016 and his untimely death could have been avoided with proper treatment and medical care.
Смерть Доренко была предотвратима: врачи изучили историю болезни журналиста
/ref>
See also
* Artyom Borovik
* Evgeny Dodolev
* Marina Lesko
* Vladislav Listyev
Vladislav (Vlad) Nikolayevich Listyev (; May 10, 1956 – March 1, 1995) was a Soviet, later Russian journalist and head of the ORT TV Channel (now government-owned Channel One).
Career
Listyev was arguably the most popular journalist and TV ...
* Alexander Nevzorov
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dorenko, Sergey
1959 births
2019 deaths
Russian people of Ukrainian descent
Russian people of Romanian descent
Russian people of Bulgarian descent
Russian television journalists
Peoples' Friendship University of Russia alumni
Russian television presenters
Echo of Moscow radio presenters
People from Kerch
People from the Crimean Oblast
Russian YouTubers
Russian dissidents