Departure of news anchor Igor Kirillov, “voice and face of the USSR”

In addition, Kirillov was also the voice and face of the party in the media: he read party advertisements on state television and informed the people of appointments and deaths in the party leadership. He explained the funerals of Soviet leaders, the countless military parades and party congresses. He also accompanied Soviet leaders on their foreign diplomatic trips.

For more than 30 years, Kirillov has presented “Vremya” (“Time”), the main news program on state television, and participated in other programs. In the late 1980s, the news landscape changed, including within the Soviet Union. Newscasters are no longer just majestic “announcers”. Kirillov was seen less and less on state television, his last appearance was in December 1989. And in 1991 the Soviet Union collapsed.

Kirillov was decorated several times. He is 89 years old. “Pervi Channel,” the channel that replaced Soviet state television, describes Kirillov as “a legendary fellow, a great comrade and a true teacher, with an intelligent appearance, a humble smile and a distinctive voice that we will miss.”