Forgotten names: Evgeny Kochetov as a correspondent of M.N. Katkov's editions

In the article, the cooperation history of the journalist E.L. Kochetov in M.N. Katkov's editions -the Moskovskie Vedomosti newspaper and the Russkiy Vestnik magazine in the 1880s is considered. During the specified period these editions were leaders of Russian conservative journalism. Koche-tov's publications are considered, their subject, perspective and genre specifics are analysed; earlier unpublished letters of the journalist, reminiscences of him are studied. Most part of publications of Kochetov in Moskovskie Vedomosti belongs to 1880-1882. The journalist reported from the funeral of General M.D. Skobelev and from the site on the Kursk railroad accident in the summer of 1882, wrote notes about openings of art exhibitions, reviews for the "Theatrical Chronicle" column, had the "Notes of a Newspaper Reader" column, published an extensive traveling sketch "From a Summer Excursion". Kochetov was particularly successful in writing operational materials written "without a delay". Among them reports and correspondence from the place of the accident on the Moscow and Kursk railroad in 1882 are of the greatest interest. Kochetov gave the objective picture of the tragedy, described the course of events, details of search works, analysed factors which became the cause of the accident. As a result of his own mistake, in 1882 Kochetov was forced to leave Moskovskie Vedomosti. In search of earnings, he addressed A.S. Suvorin and soon became a special correspondent in his newspaper Novoe Vremya. However, his relations with Katkov did not stop. Sent by Novoe Vremya to Poland as a special correspondent, Kochetov regularly wrote to the editor of Moskovskie Vedomosti about actions of administration and moods of local population, remaining a reliable source of information for Katkov. A considerable part of information given by Kochetov had a confidential character. In 1886, Russkiy Vestnik published Kochetov's sketch "The Rumelia Revolution". The sketch attempted to objectively analyse the events which led to the association of the Bulgarian principality with the autonomous Turkish province of Eastern Rumelia in the fall of 1885. The analysis of Kochetov's journalistic texts, correspondence, memoirs allowed to draw a conclusion on the community of the social and political views of the journalist and the Moskovskie Vedomosti editor. Kochetov and Katkov were united by a sincere conviction in the need of rigid centralization of the power, a view on autocracy as on the only form of government acceptable in Russia, a critical attitude towards the highest St. Petersburg bureaucracy, protection of orthodox values. They were close in the straightforwardness of assessment expressed in their journalistic texts, the uncompromising stand and obstinacy in situations when matters concerned their professional reputation.

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