Rumors circulated on Telegram channels tied to Ilya Varlamov, who is sanctioned in Russia as a foreign agent, claiming Eduard Bagirov had died. Reports from two members of Bagirov’s circle suggested the writer was deceased, with one source noting a coma in the prior week and several organ failures. The broadcasts from Varlamov News cited Bagirov’s age as 47.
Telegram channel 112 added that Bagirov had been admitted to a Moscow hospital on April 1 and had remained in a coma the week earlier. Medical staff provided care, but the severity of the condition left little chance for recovery.
A separate account from Mash in order claimed that Bagirov himself arrived at a Moscow clinic on April 1. At the hospital reception, he was diagnosed with internal bleeding, and during the stay he was found to have liver cirrhosis.
Relatives and colleagues commented on Bagirov’s passing. Elizaveta Minaeva, wife of writer and broadcaster Sergei Minaev, posted on Telegram that Bagirov was trusted by many, while noting that trust can be tested in long-running disputes. She recalled early years of tension and disagreements over trivial matters, then described how mutual understanding grew despite intense clashes. She envisioned a future reunion in another world where Bagirov would be surrounded by admiration and a thriving, even “comfortable infrastructure.”
Sergey Minaev, a longtime collaborator, declined to speak with media representatives via his Telegram channel, explaining that the matter was for Bagirov’s family. He stated, “My friend died. This concerns only his family.”
Journalist Anton Krasovsky also commented, describing Bagirov as “dead, fierce, smart, loud, talented,” and offered a farewell.
life and destiny
Eduard Bagirov was born in Turkmenistan on October 25, 1975, and spent his early years there. He served in Ashgabat but reportedly deserted after two months. By January 1994 he had moved to Moscow, later spending time in a Russian prison after a conviction under the country’s criminal code for theft. After serving the sentence, he briefly returned to his mother’s hometown in the Nizhny Novgorod region, but soon went back to Moscow where he began trading. In 2001 he enrolled in the Law Faculty at the Moscow Water Transport Academy for a period of study.
In 2002 Bagirov and Minaev founded the literary portal litprom.ru, with Bagirov later becoming editor-in-chief. The 2007 novel Guest Worker depicted the trials of a young man who leaves Turkmenistan for Moscow, facing military escape, prison time, and a shift from an onion merchant to a budding entrepreneur. Bagirov claimed the story drew on aspects of his own life, including the character’s experiences in Moscow, and the book achieved notable sales in Moscow bookstores and at Biblio-Globus.
Subsequent works included Lovers (2008) and Idealist (2010). Bagirov established a script bureau and wrote several screenplays. He served as a confidant to Vladimir Putin during the 2012 presidential election cycle and hosted the program Bagirov Against on Radio Sputnik in 2022.
Bagirov gained additional visibility as an Internet figure through his LiveJournal blog. He recounted experiences such as a frustrating ticket purchase for a St. Petersburg Philharmonic concert, describing the city’s cultural status with bluntness and humor.
In 2009, Bagirov faced criticism from the Movement Against Illegal Immigration, which was later banned in Russia. He published an open letter to then-Interior Minister Rashid Nurgaliyev in response. A 2012 television appearance on Clip, alongside Alexander Belov-Potkin, featured a heated exchange about nationalist sentiment, culminating in a brief on-air confrontation. Bagirov and Minaev also confronted commentator Andrey Ryvkin after a dispute over coverage, with Ryvkin alleging intimidation and threats; police intervened but were told not to pursue the matter further. Bagirov’s public disputes included clashes with Maxim Martsinkevich, which led to a tense encounter before a televised interview. In Moldova, Bagirov faced a five-year sentence in absentia for provocative writings around parliamentary elections, including accusations of inflaming social circles and manipulating public opinion. He was arrested in 2011, later released after a hunger strike and advocacy from the Russian embassy in Chisinau and actions by the Russian State Duma.