Colonel Viktor Baranets was widely known for his publications and speeches on military subjects. He went through the Afghan war, worked as a military observer in Pravda, and served in the General Staff of the Ministry of Defense, so this writer and publicist has enough experience and knowledge. There is something to share with the younger generation.
Biographical Information
Colonel Baranets is a native of the city of Barvenkovo (Ukraine, Kharkov region). Date of birth - November 10, 1946
In 1965, he became a cadet in a training tank regiment. Until 1970, he studied journalism at the Lviv Higher Military-Political School. Until 1978 - in the editorial department of the Military Political Academy.
His places of service were: Ukraine, the Far East, Germany (Western Group of Forces).
Having a specialty as a military journalist, he served in Far Eastern newspapers published in divisions and districts. In Germany, he was transferred to the rank of major to work in the newspaper "Soviet Army".
In 1983, he transferred to Moscow in a military journal. In the "Communist of the Armed Forces" he was first a correspondent, then - the head of the department, and later took the post of deputy chief editor.
Since the end of 1986, Baranets was sent as a war correspondent on a business trip to Afghanistan. He has written several reports and books on the fighting in this country.
Since May 1991, he took up the post of assistant chief in the Main Political Directorate of the SA and Navy of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union. A few months later, the August events took place.
Memories of the putsch
Colonel Baranets recalls the days of the State Emergency Committee. A comparison came to his mind with the White Guard officer of the revolutionary period, who was expecting the arrival of the Bolsheviks. He also had to tear off a plate that was attached to the doors of his office.
Then, according to Barents, the Main Directorate of the Armed Forces (Glavupr) was declared one of the main defenders of the communist idea, so rumors were circulating about the arrests of its employees.
At night, in front of the furnace for burning documents, a fifty-meter line of employees of the Department was built.
Colonel Baranets still remembers one of the letters that he burned. In it, some ensign complained to the leadership of Glavupr that after the death of his wife in a traffic accident, he had three children left, and the allowance was not paid to the financial part. A resolution was imposed on the letter. In it, Barents was ordered to clarify and report on the results.
Baranets, standing in line with a bundle of such letters, could not understand the reason for the inclusion of him and colleagues in the arrest lists.
Work in the nineties
After the coup, Colonel Baranets, a man whose life is not conceivable in isolation from the army, continued to work as a military observer. For the newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda, he prepared a series of reports from the hot spots (Chechnya, Dagestan).
Since 1996, Army General I. N. Rodionov was appointed to the post of Minister of Defense, and soon Colonel Viktor N. Baranets became his press secretary.
In his memoirs, Baranets tells about this difficult period for the Russian army that the delay in paying salaries to servicemen reached six months. Cooking with officer wives in garrison of soup with a swan was not some unusual occurrence.
With bitterness, he tells how once in the General Staff he was given a “salary” in the form of a loaf of bread and six cans of sprats.
In the rooms where the officers were developing on the possible use of nuclear weapons, there was the smell of borscht, which was cooked right in the office. The authorities were completely deaf to the problems of the army.
In 1997, Rodionov was dismissed as minister, Baranets also resigned from the General Staff.
Browser in Komsomolskaya Pravda
Having taken the post of military observer for Komsomolskaya Pravda in 1998, Baranets began to prepare publications on military analytics, military-patriotic education, the course of military reform, problems of corruption in the army, social protection of the military, resolving housing issues, etc.
After Komsomolskaya Pravda had its own radio station, he became the host of the author’s program “Military Revue of Colonel Baranets”, and a bit later “Viktor Baranz Audiobook” was released.
In these broadcasts, the same questions began to be raised as on the pages of the newspaper. Letters read and discussed letters of servicemen, their wives, made recommendations on resolving emerging army problems.
Colonel Baranets: "Man with a Gun"
In November 2007, a blog called "Man with a Gun" appeared, led by Baranets.
It repeatedly raised the topic of criticism of the presidential team over the failure to fulfill obligations under the program for the allocation of housing by military personnel after dismissal, and the facts of untimely payment of monetary allowances were noted.
12/15/2011, a direct line was drawn with the President of the Russian Federation Putin. At it, Baranets raised the problem of non-fulfillment of government promises to provide officers who were dismissed from the Armed Forces at the end of the contract by the end of 2010. He also asked why the Prime Minister is afraid of losing his posts of those ministers who have shown themselves incapable of starting work on the assigned site.
At the end of the meeting, Putin assessed the "officer courage and directness" of Barents. The head of state praised him for caring for the army, saying that such a truth cannot be dispensed with.
Putin's Trustee
In early 2012, Barents was taken as a proxy to Putin’s team during the election campaign. The publicist showed himself very actively.
Repeatedly participated in debates organized by the media, supporting the side of Putin. He devoted a lot of airtime to this in the program “Military Revolution of Colonel Baranets”.
On March 1, 2012, he published a propaganda article in the Red Star dedicated to the presidential election campaign, in which he argued that V. V. V. should be elected for the post of state leader, since he has the richest experience in governing the country compared to other candidates.
After Putin’s election in 2012 for the presidency of Russia, words of gratitude were expressed to proxies who took part in the election campaign. Among others, Colonel Baranets was also noted. "Man with a Gun" is a blog in which a publicist devoted a lot of time to analyzing the merits of presidential candidates.
Later on, the writer-publicist also evaluated Putin’s activities in the presidency.
For example, in the “Military Review of Colonel Barents, ” the moment of appointment to the post of Minister of Defense Shoigu was rated as “the best personnel decision of the president.”
Achievements
The Russian Journalist Union awarded Viktor Barants the Golden Pen of Russia Award. The Moscow Union of Journalists and the Ministry of Defense of the Soviet Union also won several prizes.
He has a prize "Dignity" to them. A. Borovik.
He has released several literary works, which openly reveal the army behind-the-scenes life in recent history.
07/18/2012 Presidential Decree was issued on the introduction of Viktor Barents on the Council of Public Television of Russia.
He is a member of the public council of the Ministry of Defense, as well as a similar structure created by the Military-Industrial Commission of Russia.
Baranets is also a member of the Presidium of “Officers of Russia” (All-Russian Public Organization).
