Gleb Olegovich Pavlovsky (russian: Глеб Оле́гович Павло́вский; born 5 March 1951) is a Russian
political scientist
Political science is the science, scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of politics, political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated c ...
who also describes himself as a "political technologist".
[ During the ]Soviet era
The history of Soviet Russia and the Soviet Union (USSR) reflects a period of change for both Russia and the world. Though the terms "Soviet Russia" and "Soviet Union" often are synonymous in everyday speech (either acknowledging the dominance ...
, he was prosecuted as a dissident
A dissident is a person who actively challenges an established Political system, political or Organized religion, religious system, doctrine, belief, policy, or institution. In a religious context, the word has been used since the 18th century, and ...
. From 1996 to 2011 he was a political adviser to Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...
. Since then, he has been a critic of the Russian government.
Pavlovsky is president of the Foundation for Effective Politics (FEP). In 1997, he helped create "Russian Journal", one of Russia's oldest websites."About the Russian Journal"
Pavlovsky and FEP organized and financed many early websites on the
Runet
Runet (russian: Рунет), a portmanteau of ru (code for both the Russian language and Russia's top-level domain) and net/network, is the Russian-language community on the Internet and websites. The term Runet was coined in Israel in the spr ...
, including
Lenta.Ru
''Lenta.ru'' (russian: Лента.Ру; stylised as LƐNTA.RU) is a Russian-language online newspaper. Based in Moscow, it is owned by Rambler Media Group. In 2013, the Alexander Mamut-owned companies "SUP Media" and "Rambler-Afisha" merged to ...
. From 2005 to 2008, Pavlovsky hosted the weekly
television
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...
news commentary "Real Politics", which was shown on
NTV Russia
NTV (Cyrillic: НТВ) is a Russian free-to-air television channel that was launched as a subsidiary of Vladimir Gusinsky's company . Since 14 April 2001 Gazprom Media controls the network. NTV has no official meaning according to Igor Malash ...
at 10:00 P.M. on Saturdays. In 2012, he became editor-in-chief of Gefter.ru, a Russian-language blog.
Biography
Pavlovsky was born in
Odessa
Odesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrativ ...
in
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
on 5 March 1951 in a family of engineers. From 1968 to 1973, he studied history at
Odessa University
Odesa I. I. Mechnykov National University ( uk, Одеський національний університет Iмені І. І. Мечникова, translit=Odeskyi natsionalnyi universytet imeni I. I. Mechnykova), located in Odesa, Ukraine, i ...
. His first publication (in a university newspaper) was censored by the
Politburo
A politburo () or political bureau is the executive committee for communist parties. It is present in most former and existing communist states.
Names
The term "politburo" in English comes from the Russian ''Politbyuro'' (), itself a contraction ...
because of its alleged "anarchistic and left- extremist mood".
At the age of 21, Pavlovsky and friends organized a political commune "Субъект Исторической Деятельности" (Subject of Historical Action), inspired by the spirit of the
protests of 1968
The protests of 1968 comprised a worldwide escalation of social conflicts, predominantly characterized by popular rebellions against state militaries and the bureaucracies.
In the United States, these protests marked a turning point for the ci ...
and ideals of intellectual Marxism (at the time, he described himself as a "Zen Marxist"
[). At this stage, Pavlovsky began to increase his links to the dissident movement in Odessa. In the 1970s, he went to Moscow to meet fellow dissidents: Mihail Gefter, Genrih Batishev, ]Grigory Pomerants
Grigory Solomonovich Pomerants (also: Grigorii or Grigori, russian: Григо́рий Соломо́нович Помера́нц, 13 March 1918, Vilnius – 16 February 2013, Moscow) was a Russian philosopher and cultural theorist. He is the aut ...
and other associates. He first came into contact with the KGB
The KGB (russian: links=no, lit=Committee for State Security, Комитет государственной безопасности (КГБ), a=ru-KGB.ogg, p=kəmʲɪˈtʲet ɡəsʊˈdarstvʲɪn(ː)əj bʲɪzɐˈpasnəsʲtʲɪ, Komitet gosud ...
in 1974.
As the 70s went on, Pavlovsky cemented his place in Moscow's dissident movement and began publishing an underground newspaper entitled "Poiski", all while avoiding KGB interference. In 1982, he was arrested for anti-Soviet activity and sentenced for 3 years in exile in the Komi Republic
The Komi Republic (russian: Республика Коми; kv, Коми Республика), sometimes simply referred to as Komi, is a republic of Russia located in Eastern Europe. Its capital is the city of Syktyvkar. The population of the ...
. Before the trial, he initially collaborated with the authorities, although during the trial he disowned his testimony.[ In Komi, he made a living as a house painter and stoker. By 1985, he had returned to civilian life in Moscow, where was able to pursue further engagements.][
Between 1996 and 2011, Pavlovsky worked closely with ]Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...
as a Kremlin adviser and political strategist during Putin's initial tenure as president and prime minister. Pavlovsky was fired from this position in the spring of 2011. He has become a critic of the Russian government.[
]
Media
* 1991—1992 — vice chair of "Kommersant
''Kommersant'' (russian: Коммерсантъ, , ''The Businessman'' or Commerce Man, often shortened to Ъ) is a nationally distributed daily newspaper published in Russia mostly devoted to politics and business. The TNS Media and NRS Russia ...
" publishing house.
* 1994—1995 — editor-en-chief quarterly published magazine "Переделы Власти"
* 1995—1996 — founder and co-editor of "Sreda" magazine.
* 1995—2009 — co-creator of Foundation of Effective Politics (russian: « Фонд эффективной политики», along with Maxim Meyer
Maxim Mikhailovich Meyer (russian: link=no, Максим Михайлович Мейер, born 23 May 1967 in Moscow) is a Russian politician and statesman, social and political scientist specializing in political history of the Post-Soviet state ...
and Marat Gelman
Marat Aleksandrovich GelmanOfficial (in the passport) Latin-graphics spelling of his last name is Guelman as in French. (russian: Марат Александрович Гельман; born 24 December 1960) is a Russian collector, gallerist, a ...
).
* 1997—co-founder and editor-en-chief of internet magazine "Russian journal". May be the first Russian blog.
* 2005 — co-founder and editor of "Europe" publishing house.
* April 2012 — founder and editor-in-chief of the Gefter.ru blog named after the Russian and Soviet historian (1918–1995).
Notes
External links
gefter.ru
Europe publishing house
Biography of Pavlovsky
Article about Pavlovsky on OpenDemocracy.net
Interview with Pavlovsky 2013
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pavlovsky, Gleb
1951 births
Living people
Writers from Odesa
Odesa University alumni
Communist Party of the Soviet Union members
Soviet journalists
Male journalists
Russian political scientists
Soviet prisoners and detainees
Internet in Russia
Academic staff of the Higher School of Economics
Recipients of the Medal of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" II class
Soviet dissidents
Russian exiles