Guardian of the «atomic legacy»: a year has passed after demise of Colonel-General Evgeny P. Maslin

FEBRUARY 26. MOSCOW. PIR PRESS. «[Evgeny] Maslin was an exceptionally competent and demanding person, a professional in his field, with whom it was a pleasure to work. We have always understood each other. There have never been any disagreements in resolving issues in the service, and then already in retirement. Evgeny Petrovich had a lot of friends and associates who respected him. He knew how to take care of others, a large number of people always gathered at his holidays. Only a good memory remains of Evgeny Petrovich», Vasily Lata, Lieutenant General, former Deputy Chief of the Main Staff of the Strategic Missile Forces, PIR Center consultant.

Exactly one year ago, on February 26, 2022, a dear friend and mentor of PIR Center passed away – the former head of the 12th Main Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation (1992–1997), senior adviser and member of the PIR Center Executive Board, Colonel General Evgeny P. Maslin.

Colonel General Maslin was responsible for the security of Russian nuclear warheads for several years and was one of the founders of international programs to assist Russia in the disposal of surplus weapons. His achievements have been highly recognized by a number of government awards, including the «Order of the Red Star», «Order for Service to the Motherland in the Armed Forces of the USSR», 2nd and 3rd class, and many medals. In addition, Evgeny P. Maslin was the laureate of the Prize of the Government of the Russian Federation in the field of science and technology.

Evgeny P. Maslin always thought about the success of the common cause. Even during the most difficult periods of Russian-American relations, he advocated dialogue with the United States «on the most sensitive issues» of nuclear nonproliferation. In March 2023, two major Western publications, the American The New York Times and the British The Times, published obituaries in memory of Colonel General Evgeny P. Maslin.

Like many of his colleagues, Colonel General Maslin paid special attention to educating the younger generation of experts. He actively participated in the educational and research activities of the PIR Center, gave advice to novice specialists, shared experience and knowledge with younger colleagues. Colonel General Maslin is remembered at the PIR Center not only as a high-class professional, but also as a man of a broad soul, inexhaustible energy, amazing openness, combined with a fair general’s strictness.

Each event, in which Colonel General Maslin participated, was decorated not only with his competent, balanced expertise, but also with a loud, peppy song. Evgeny P. Maslin was very fond of singing. As the American journalist Clay Risen wrote: «General Maslin, if you look at him, was in every respect a Russian general, as if removed from the central casting. Broad-shouldered, with a bulging chest and thick eyebrows, in a military uniform adorned with rows of shiny medals, he loved nothing more than singing patriotic songs at the end of a long dinner».

In 2022, PIR Center established the Maslin-Fest. Maslin-Fest is a format of meetings of the members of the Community «Under the sign of PIR», which allows us to remember Colonel-General Evgeny P. Maslin not only as a talented statesman, patriot of his country, reliable colleague and comrade, but also as a lover of poetry, songs, warm friendly meetings. The first meeting of the PIR Community members was held in the Maslin-Fest format on June 25, 2022 as part of the PIR Center XXI International School on Global Security. You can read more about the first Maslin-Fest here. Also, a short video about the event in 2022 is available on the PIR Center Telegram channel.

This year Maslin-fest will be held on June 10 as part of the closing ceremony of the  PIR Center XXII International School on Global Security.

Documentary film about Evgeny P. Maslin can be found on the link. Also, you can find the Memory Gallery of Evgeny P. Maslin on PIR Center official website.

E3/TSU – 02/23

NPR/HIS