In memoriam Aleksei Beznosikov (1947-2026)

Aleksei Beznosikov (31 January 1947 – 14 February 2026), a public and political figure in the Komi Republic, has passed away. In the 1990s, he was one of the leading figures in the Komi national movement.

Biography

In addition to studying agronomy at the Agricultural Institute, he graduated from the Higher Party School and the KGB Higher School of the USSR. Before the turbulent end of the 1980s, Beznosikov held leading positions in local party and security agencies. It is possible that thanks to him, there was no particular confrontation between the Communist Party and the national movement in Komi, as discussions and other meetings of the national movement Komi Kotor (now Komi Voityr) often took place on the premises of the Communist Party and with the direct participation of party officials. It is therefore not surprising that Aleksei Beznosikov became an active organiser of the Komi People’s Congress and a member of the Komi People’s Rebirth Committee elected at the congress, and later also a paid employee of the committee.

The Congress became a significant political force in the Komi Republic, resulting in several leading members of the Congress taking up positions in the republic’s government bodies. Thus, Aleksei Beznosikov became Minister of Culture of the Komi Republic from 1993 to 1999. He became Head of the State Information and Printing Agency from 1999 to 2002. In 2002, he was elected a member of the State Council of the Komi Republic, where he headed the Social Policy Committee. In 2004, he was elected Deputy Speaker.

Finno-Ugric dimension

Aleksei Beznosikov considered cooperation between Finno-Ugric peoples to be important. He signed several cooperation agreements between the Republic of Estonia and the Komi Republic. These agreements led to Estonian-Komi cultural exchanges, guest performances by theatres, and mutual visits by Komi and Estonian folk ensembles. Komi students came to study at Estonian universities. He was a friendly, approachable, and supportive person by nature.

We express our condolences to Aleksei’s loved ones and the Komi national movement.