Mikhail Leontyev

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Mikhail Vladimirovich Leontyev (Russian: Михаи́л Влади́мирович Лео́нтьев, born October 12, 1958, in Moscow) is a Russian journalist currently working on national TV Channel One. He is known for his program "Odnako" (Russian: "However"), irregularly appearing on air with commentaries on certain political occasions since March 1999.

1 Biography
2 Controversy
3 References
4 External links

[edit] Biography

Leontyev was graduated from the Department of General Economics of the Moscow Institute of National Economy in 1979, and worked in a scientific research institute up to 1985. Then he finished a college with profession "joiner-cabinetmaker", worked as unskilled labourer in Museum of Literature, was a guard at the cottage of Pasternak, offered private lessons of history. Since 1989 he began working in journalism, was a correspondent of political department of magazine Kommersant, in 1990 headed economic department of Nezavisimaya Gazeta, was assistant of the chief editor in newspaper Business МН. In 1993 he participated in creation of newspaper Segodnya and for some time worked as assistant of the chief editor there. Worked at television since 1997, at first at channel TVC; in February 1999 he left TVC for Channel One.

Besides Odnako, on Channel One Leontyev also made programs "Different Time" and "Puppet Theater with Leontyev", but they were closed by the channel.

Leontyev was awarded with "Gold Pen of Russia" and nominated for TEFI-1997 (national television award). ^[1]

[edit] Controversy

Latvia declared Leontyev persona non grata after his sharp words about the country in 2003 interview on Riga television[1]. In 2006, the Ukrainian government banned Leontyev from visiting the country for five years, referring to his "insulting statements" towards Ukraina. [2],[3]

Leontyev is a bitter critic of the United States and the West, he often predicts dramatic depreciation of the American dollar and subsequent financial catastrophe of the USA. [4]

Leontyev made several scandalous accusations both in his own show and in various interviews, for some of which he underwent trials. In 2001 he accused Viktor Yuschenko's wife, Kateryna Yushchenko-Chumachenko, of influencing her husband's political decisions with the U.S. ideas, hinting that she is an agent of American government in Ukraine. Mrs. Yushchenko has won two libel cases regarding the accusations in 2002 in Ukrainean city of Kiev. [5], [6].