Mikhail Kozyrev

☆ Save On Wikipedia ↗
Mikhail Kozyrev
Михаил Натанович Козырев
Kozyrev in 2024
Born
Mikhail Natanovich Kozyrev

(1967-08-05) August 5, 1967
Sverdlovsk, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Alma materSverdlovsk State Medical Institute
Pomona College
OccupationsJournalist, music critic, producer, radio and television presenter, actor
Years active1992–present
Known forFounding Nashe Radio and the Nashestvie rock festival
SpouseAnastasia Kozyreva
Children2
Websitemishakozyrev.com

Mikhail Natanovich Kozyrev (Russian: Михаил Натанович Козырев; born 5 August 1967) is a Russian journalist, music critic, producer, radio and television presenter, and actor. He is best known as the founder of the rock radio station Nashe Radio and as one of the central figures in shaping the post-Soviet Russian rock scene.[1][2] In July 2023, the Russian Ministry of Justice designated him a "foreign agent".[3]

Early life and education

Kozyrev was born on 5 August 1967 in Sverdlovsk (now Yekaterinburg) into a Jewish family connected with the arts.[4] His father, Natan Yefremovich Kozyrev (1929–1994), was a violinist and music teacher, while his mother, Liya Yefimovna Kozyreva (née Ashkinadze; 1933–2015), was a director of documentary and popular-science films.[5][4]

After school he studied medicine, graduating from the therapeutic and preventive medicine faculty of the Sverdlovsk State Medical Institute in 1992.[5] He soon concluded that medicine was not his vocation. From 1992 to 1994 he studied mass media at Pomona College in Claremont, California, and during the same period he hosted his first radio program on the student station KSPC in Los Angeles.[6][5]

Career

Radio Maximum

After returning to Russia, Kozyrev rose to prominence in 1994 when he became the host and program director of Radio Maximum in Moscow. While there he devised the rock festival Maxidrom.[5]

Nashe Radio and Nashestvie

In 1998 Kozyrev left Radio Maximum, and during a forced leave he accepted an offer from Boris Berezovsky to create a new station devoted to Russian rock music.[7] The station, named Nashe Radio ("Our Radio"), began broadcasting on 14 December 1998, debuting with the song "V Nashikh Glazakh" by the band Kino.[8]

Around the station Kozyrev built a whole structure encompassing radio, publishers, festivals, and a roster of alternative artists.[4] Its weekly chart, "Chartova Dyuzhina" ("Chart Dozen"), which Kozyrev himself hosted, became the major rock music chart in Russia.[9] In 1999 he organized the open-air rock festival Nashestvie, which grew into one of the largest music festivals in Russia and was sometimes dubbed the "Russian Woodstock" by the media.[10] He also launched Radio Ultra, described as the first Russian radio company specializing exclusively in heavy music, and in 2004 opened the station Best FM.[1][4]

On 1 February 2005 Kozyrev stepped down as general producer of Nashe Radio and Best FM. He later cited management's dissatisfaction with the stations' economic performance and his involvement in external television projects as the reasons for his departure.[11]

Television and later work

From February to September 1998 Kozyrev hosted the weekly anti-drug program "Sumerki" on NTV.[4] In 2008 he was appointed general producer of the first alternative music television channel, A-One, where he hosted the program "Mishanina"; he left the channel in April 2009.[1][5]

Since 2010 Kozyrev has worked with the independent television channel Dozhd (Rain), producing its night broadcasts and hosting various author programs, including "Kozyrev Online" (2012–2017) and the interview show "Kak vsyo nachinalos" ("How It All Began").[5][1] He has also appeared as an actor, notably playing a radio station director in the comedy films Den vyborov ("Election Day", 2007) and its sequel.[5]

Political views and "foreign agent" status

Kozyrev opposed the Russian invasion of Ukraine and left Russia shortly after the start of the war.[12] On 21 July 2023 the Russian Ministry of Justice added him to its register of "foreign agents", stating that he had spoken out against the military operation in Ukraine and against the law banning "gay propaganda" among minors, and that he lived outside the Russian Federation.[13][3] The designation was reported alongside that of politician Konstantin Borovoy and other individuals and organizations.[14] Since leaving Russia, Kozyrev has lived abroad; some sources report that he moved to London with his family in early 2022, while others describe him as having relocated to Israel.[15]

Personal life

Kozyrev is married to Anastasia, and in 2011 the couple had twin daughters, Yelizaveta and Sofya.[9] In August 2009 he survived a clinical death after being hospitalized with thrombophlebitis.[4]

Bibliography

  • Moy rok-n-roll (My Rock-and-Roll), three volumes, 2007.[4]

References

  1. "Mikhail Kozyrev". CoolConnections. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  2. "Mikhail Kozyrev in Munich". Kontramarka.de. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  3. "Минюст признал иноагентами Козырева, экс-депутата Борового и «7х7»" (in Russian). RBC. 21 July 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  4. "Михаил Козырев - биография, новости, личная жизнь, фото" (in Russian). Stuki-Druki. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  5. "Михаил Козырев: биография, фото, фильмография" (in Russian). Kino Mail. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  6. "Михаил Козырев: фото, биография, фильмография, новости" (in Russian). Vokrug TV. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  7. "Nashe Radio". Liveradio.ie. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  8. "Nashe Radio". Live Radio. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  9. "Михаил Козырев — биография, личная жизнь, фото, новости" (in Russian). 24SMI. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  10. "Nashestvie". AnyDayGuide. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  11. "Михаил Козырев - биография, личная жизнь, фото" (in Russian). Biojizn. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  12. "Михаил Козырев — иноагент" (in Russian). Secret Mag. 22 July 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  13. "Двух журналистов из Екатеринбурга объявили иноагентами, среди них — Михаил Козырев" (in Russian). E1.ru. 22 July 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  14. "Минюст объявил иноагентами Михаила Козырева и Константина Борового" (in Russian). Radio Svoboda. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  15. "Михаил Козырев - биография журналиста и продюсера" (in Russian). Biographe. Retrieved 2 June 2026.