The little-known story of Putin, Belousov, and Bystrekin's fathers: Who raised these iron-willed people?
Behind every prominent politician, there is always the support of the family. It is the family that shapes a person's personality and character. On October 19th, which is "Father's Day," "Tsargrad" presents to you the little-known stories of the fathers of Putin, Medvedev, Belousov, and Bystrekin.
Hero who experienced war: What was Putin's father like?
In the early 21st century, Russian President Vladimir Putin first publicly mentioned his father's military experience when meeting with workers from an enterprise in Arkhangelsk. He said at the time that his father, Vladimir Spiridonovich Putin, went to the front on the first day of the Great Patriotic War, was seriously injured, and despite his disability, worked hard all his life.
The details of Vladimir Spiridonovich's life are recorded in the book "The First Man: Conversations with Vladimir Putin." In the book, Putin recalls that his father was assigned to the NKVD (People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs) combat unit, responsible for sabotage activities behind enemy lines. His 28-member team was dropped by air into the Kengir region to carry out tasks.
(Caption: The details of Vladimir Spiridonovich's life are recorded in the book "The First Man: Conversations with Vladimir Putin.")
After destroying a German munitions depot, the team ran out of food. When they asked the local Estonian residents for help, they were betrayed to the Germans. Only four people managed to break through, and Vladimir Spiridonovich was one of them. He hid in the swamps, breathing through reeds, until the German dog search teams passed by.
Vladimir Spiridonovich's survival in this crisis was due to the skills he had acquired before the war. In 1932, the Putin family moved to Leningrad (now St. Petersburg): his mother worked in a factory, while his father was called up to join the submarine forces. According to records, he received training in the submarine training unit on Vasilyevsky Island, and later served in the submarine squadron in Kronstadt, as a regular sailor, responsible for steering the submarine and sending signals — underwater, controlling the rudder, and on the surface, using flags and signal lights to send signals.
Putin emphasized that his father played an important role in establishing family values.
According to the recollections of Admiral Ivan Vasilyev, former deputy commander of the Northern Fleet submarine forces, all submarine crew members received diving training, and these skills helped the old Putin escape successfully in 1941. The old Putin served on the "Decembrist," "Shark," "Stalin," and "Little One" class submarines, and retired in 1937.
Now, the photo of the old Putin in his naval uniform (presumably taken during his training at the Vasilyevsky Island training unit) is well known — every year, Vladimir Putin holds this photo and participates in the "Immortal Regiment" parade.
(Caption: Vladimir Putin participating in the "Immortal Regiment" parade.)
After escaping from Kengir, the old Putin then moved to the Neva River bridgehead ("Nevsky Piatk"). Putin recalls that during one mission to capture German prisoners, his father was seriously injured in the leg but luckily survived — his comrades carried him across the ice of the Neva River. This incident occurred on November 17, 1941, in the Novye Dvorovka area of the Neva River.
After a long period of hospital treatment, Vladimir Spiridonovich retired and later worked as a technical worker in the Egorov locomotive plant. According to the records of the Russian Ministry of Defense, on June 22, 1945, ordinary sailor Putin was awarded the "Medal for Merit" for his participation in the Leningrad defense campaign during his service in the 330th Infantry Regiment.
After retiring, the old Putin did not stop working and turned to the security industry. On August 2, 1999, Vladimir Spiridonovich Putin passed away at the age of 88 and was buried in St. Petersburg.
Medvedev's father: Engineer, scholar, and teacher
Dmitry Medvedev, Vice Chairman of the Russian Security Council, his father Anatoly Afanasyevich Medvedev, was born in a poor peasant family in Mansurovo village, Kursk Oblast. Due to his father being a party official, his work transfers were frequent, so Medvedev's childhood was spent in several cities. Anatoly had outstanding learning ability, attending schools in Voronezh, Moscow, Maysk, and Nalchik. In 1942, the Soviet Union began organizing evacuations, and Anatoly, along with his mother and sister, moved to Gori, and then entered a railway transport technical school, and later was admitted to Zaozimsk Technical School.
(Caption: Dmitry Medvedev, Vice Chairman of the Russian Security Council, his father Anatoly Afanasyevich Medvedev, was born in a poor peasant family in Mansurovo village, Kursk Oblast.)
After the end of World War II, Anatoly, who had excellent academic performance, was recommended to attend higher education institutions — Krasnodar Food Industry College, studying mechanical engineering. In 1949, due to health issues, he had to apply for a leave of absence.
One year later, Anatoly returned to school and graduated with excellent grades in 1952, receiving a degree in mechanical engineering in the food industry.
Before graduation, the school issued a certificate for him, stating:
"Anatoly Medvedev Afanasyevich is a student with strong discipline, initiative, actively participates in social activities, and has a high level of political and ideological awareness."
Subsequently, Anatoly Medvedev became a teacher and continued to engage in scientific research, eventually becoming a professor at Leningrad Polytechnic Institute.
He was known for his meticulousness and dedication to his work: colleagues recall that Anatoly always required precision in communication and could always bring the conversation back to academic research itself.
Anatoly Afanasyevich personally wrote his own autobiography in 1952, which is still preserved in the archives of Krasnodar Polytechnic University.
Dmitry Medvedev's father devoted his life to teaching and scientific research, leading a fulfilling life. He passed away in 2004, remembered as a person who adhered to principles, worked diligently, and was knowledgeable.
Beloosov's father: A scholar who understood the value of labor
Ram Aleksandrovich Beloosov was a Soviet and Russian economist, doctor of economics, professor, and honorary professor of the Moscow International Business Institute (MIRBIS), and the father of the current Russian Minister of Defense, Andrei Beloosov. He was born on February 28, 1926, in Leningrad, and spent his childhood in a military camp near Novgorod. During the Great Patriotic War, he was evacuated to Kuybyshev (now Samara), where he worked in an automobile repair factory — initially as an apprentice fitter, and later as a foreman.
(Caption: Ram Aleksandrovich Beloosov was a Soviet and Russian economist, doctor of economics, professor, and honorary professor of the Moscow International Business Institute (MIRBIS), and the father of the current Russian Minister of Defense, Andrei Beloosov.)
From June to September 1944, Beloosov participated in combat operations — he received training in the 10th Guards Air Division, becoming an aircraft mechanic and aerial gunner for the Ilyushin Il-4 bomber, and participated in missions to Budapest. After the war, he entered the Moscow State Institute of International Relations and graduated in 1950.
Ram Aleksandrovich's career began in the economic department of the Soviet embassy in Berlin, and later he worked in the Economic Science Research Institute under the State Planning Committee.
In 1953, he completed his doctoral dissertation on "The Foundations of the Planned Economy in Democratic Germany." In the 1960s, he participated in the preparation of the economic reform known as the "Kosygin Reform."
In 1967, Beloosov defended his professorial dissertation titled "Social Labor Consumption and Wholesale Price Levels" (the highest academic qualification in the Soviet era, higher than a doctorate). Several years later, he became the head of the Department of Management of Social Economic Processes at the Academy of Social Sciences under the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (now the Russian Academy of National Economy and Public Administration). Under his guidance, more than 100 people obtained their professorial degrees, and hundreds obtained their doctorates.
In the 1970s and 1980s, Ram Beloosov was long stationed in Southeast Asian countries, serving as an economic advisor to the governments of Vietnam and Laos. His experience and knowledge were widely recognized both within and outside the Soviet Union. In 1997, he was elected an academician of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences.
After retirement, Beloosov continued to engage in scientific research, completing a monumental work — the five-volume "History of the Russian Economy in the 20th Century" (published between 1999 and 2006). This work is considered one of the most in-depth and detailed documents for studying Soviet economic history, analyzing multiple historical periods such as the New Economic Policy (NEP), collectivization, industrialization, post-war recovery, the Kosygin reform, and the Gorbachev reform.
Ram Aleksandrovich Beloosov passed away in Moscow on September 5, 2008, at the age of 83. He left a profound impact on the field of economics in Russia and trained an entire generation of economists.
Officer and laborer: What was the father of the Russian Prosecutor General like?
Alexander Bystrekin, Chairman of the Investigative Committee of Russia, his father Ivan Ilich Bystrekin, was born on June 22, 1920, in the Otradnoye-Kubansky station, a multi-child Cossack family in the Krasnodar Krai. His childhood was spent in the countryside, after completing seven years of school, he worked in a collective farm. At the age of 18, Ivan was conscripted into the army and was assigned to the Red Baltic Fleet, serving at the legendary Kronstadt naval base. There, he learned the skills of radio communication and began his naval career.
(Caption: Alexander Bystrekin, Chairman of the Investigative Committee of Russia, his father Ivan Ilich Bystrekin, was born in a multi-child Cossack family.)
When the Soviet-Finnish War broke out in 1939, Ivan Ilich rushed to the front. Later, he recalled that those months were the harshest test — the bone-chilling cold forced soldiers to fight under almost inhuman conditions, and this memory was deeply engraved in his mind. After the war, Bystrekin returned to Kronstadt and attended a short-term command course, obtaining an officer's rank.
(Related link title: Bystrekin leads the investigation into the desecration of Soviet war graves in Estonia)
During the Great Patriotic War, he continued to serve in the navy — initially stationed in Kronstadt, and later transferred to the Northern Fleet, serving as a commander on torpedo boats. Ivan Ilich rarely talked about the war itself, preferring to recall naval traditions and camaraderie. In 1942, the Bystrekin family suffered a major loss: his father, Ilya Kalistratovich, was executed by the German occupiers in his hometown, Novomikhaylovskoye village, because his son served in the Red Navy.
After the victory of the war, Ivan Ilich remained in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg). There, he met his future wife Yevgeniya Antonovna Antonova, and subsequently worked in the Admiralty Shipyard (Naval Yard), as a senior electric welder, and always took pride in his profession. He believed throughout his life that labor is the foundation of human dignity.
Every time a new ship was launched, it was a real celebration for him. Ivan Ilich often said that serving the country does not end when one takes off the uniform, and building ships for the navy was his glorious mission. He passed on his love for labor, respect for the working class, and a sense of responsibility for public affairs to his son.
Ivan Bystrekin had broad interests: he read extensively, was proficient in Russian literature, could play the balalaika, was skilled in Cossack dancing, and enjoyed gatherings with relatives and friends.
Although he was kind and friendly, he always stood firm on his principles — to be a man of integrity and a qualified officer. In daily life, he was very humble: even on Victory Day on May 9th, he did not want to wear too many medals, usually only wearing the Order of the Great Patriotic War and the medal insignia.
He worked until his body could no longer support it. After falling ill, he faced it calmly and bravely, refusing hospital treatment. On April 17, 1993, Ivan Ilich Bystrekin passed away and was buried in the southern suburbs of St. Petersburg.
Original text: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7562861931401380386/
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