Artyom Tarasov — Soviet‑era entrepreneur, media founder and politician

Early life and entry into business

Tarasov grew up and was educated in Moscow during a time when most economic activity was state controlled. The reforms of the mid‑ to late 1980s created new legal possibilities for small private enterprises and cooperatives. Tarasov was among the entrepreneurs who sought to exploit these openings, building businesses that provided goods and services previously unavailable or in short supply. His activities and public profile reflected the tensions of an economy in transition and made him a frequent subject of media attention.

Media and commercial ventures

Among Tarasov's best known initiatives was his role in establishing independent business journalism in Russia. He was a co‑founder of the Kommersant daily newspaper, one of the earliest commercial titles to focus on business and economic reporting in the country, an effort that helped shape a fledgling independent press. Tarasov was also associated with early private aviation efforts that contributed to the emergence of non‑state carriers in the post‑Soviet aviation market. These activities tied him to a broader cohort of entrepreneurs experimenting with new forms of ownership and enterprise.

• Kommersant: Tarasov participated in founding a business‑oriented daily that became influential in business and political circles (source on Kommersant).
• Private aviation: he was linked with initiatives that helped create one of the first non‑state airlines in the years of transition (background).
• Public profile: his reported status as a millionaire in 1989 made him a symbol of the new economic possibilities and of controversies surrounding wealth in a formerly command economy (contemporary report).

Politics, exile and return

Tarasov translated his prominence into political engagement. He was elected to representative bodies in the early 1990s and was active in debates over market reform, property rights and the role of private business. Around 1990 he had a public falling out with Soviet authorities and left the country, settling in London for a period where he continued to work and maintain contacts with Russian business and political circles. He returned to Russia in the early 1990s and was again elected to the State Duma. In 1996 he attempted to mount an independent presidential candidacy, but his application was rejected by the electoral commission.

His years in exile and subsequent return illustrate the uncertain and often adversarial relationship between early private entrepreneurs and political institutions during the transition from Soviet socialism to a market economy. Tarasov's time in London and activity as part of the émigré and expatriate community are discussed in contemporary accounts (accounts of his London years).

Later life, death and legacy

In later decades Tarasov remained an outspoken public figure. He was alternately praised as a pioneer of independent enterprise and criticised amid controversies typical of the chaotic 1990s business environment. He continued to be associated with media projects and business initiatives, and his name often appears in discussions of privatization, entrepreneurial culture and the emergence of a private sector in Russia. Tarasov died on July 22, 2017, reportedly from complications of pneumonia; his death was reported by contemporary sources (death notice).

Assessment

Historians and commentators regard Tarasov as one of the more emblematic figures of the perestroika period. As an entrepreneur who openly embraced private initiative, he symbolised both the opportunities and the controversies of rapid economic change. Supporters point to his role in founding independent media and new commercial ventures; critics note legal disputes and his fraught relations with authorities. In broader narratives of late Soviet and early post‑Soviet history, Tarasov represents the social and political challenges of introducing market practices where state centralisation had long been dominant.

Timeline highlights

1. 1950: Born in Moscow; later became involved in cooperative and commercial activity during perestroika.
2. Late 1980s: Built a public profile as an entrepreneur and was publicly reported as a millionaire in 1989.
3. Co‑founded Kommersant and participated in early private aviation projects.
4. Circa 1990: Left the USSR amid disputes with officials and lived abroad.
5. Early 1990s: Returned to Russia, elected to the State Duma.
6. 1996: Attempted an independent presidential run that was rejected by authorities.
7. 2017: Died at age 67; remembered as a symbol of the entrepreneurial surge during the transition era.

For further reading, see the contemporary press and retrospective accounts that examine Tarasov's business projects, political activity and role in the larger story of Russia's economic transformation. Several sources and archives provide additional documentation of his initiatives and public statements (Kommersant history, aviation background, 1989 coverage, exile and return, obituary material).