Timur Gaidar
Timur Arkadyevich Gaidar (December 8, 1926 – December 23, 1999) was a Soviet and Russian rear admiral, writer, and journalist. He was born in Arkhangelsk, the son of the famous children's author Arkady Gaidar and screenwriter Lia Solomyanskaya.
Education and navy service: He graduated from the Leningrad Naval School in 1948 and studied journalism at the Lenin Military-Political Academy, finishing in 1954. He served on submarines in the Baltic Fleet and the Pacific Fleet.
Journalism and other work: Beginning in 1957 he worked for newspapers such as The Soviet Fleet, Red Star, and Pravda. He fought in the Bay of Pigs Invasion and was a friend of Cuban General Raúl Castro. From 1965 to 1971 he worked in Belgrade, then part of Yugoslavia.
Personal life and legacy: He died in Moscow in 1999. His widow was Ariadna Bazhova, daughter of writer Pavel Bazhov, and their son Yegor Gaidar became a notable Russian politician. Timur Gaidar’s life was believed to have inspired the character Timur in Arkady Gaidar's book Timur and His Squad, which helped spark the Timurite movement.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 20:53 (CET).