A real patriot, a bright thinker, a beautiful man has left. Our senior comrade, our friend. For me, this is an example of a Person invested with high government positions and remaining Human. What can I say: an unattainable role model. An irreparable loss. A man who held a nuclear weapon in his hands. In the literal sense of the word. And thanks to whose efforts – and the efforts of his colleagues – in the murky, troubled times, not a single nuclear ammunition was lost, stolen, lost. On the day of his 80th birthday, Maslin said in an interview with the PIR Center: “Patriotism is not so much praising, admiring your Homeland, as striving to make your Fatherland better.” A deep connoisseur of poetry and painting. Chess player. And what a singer! Our meeting was not a meeting if Maslin did not sing. How many times his song was poured over Moscow, over Zvenigorod, over the Alps. I remember how the Swiss philistine fell silent in amazement: “Russian general. A real general.” His last publication was published in the PIR Center, just a couple of weeks ago. Maslin addressed the Russian and American youth. “If young people on both sides of the Bering Strait are thinking about how we can improve Russian-American relations, all is not lost.” As if he had bequeathed it. Our last conversation with Evgeny Petrovich was less than a week ago. February 23. “Are you celebrating, Evgeny Petrovich?” – terminally ill, in a hospital where visitors were not allowed, he joked: “I’m celebrating. All these days, without stopping, I do nothing but celebrate.” The last of the Mohicans. It seems that an era has gone with him.
Vladimir Orlov,
Founder and Director of the PIR Center
Blessed memory and sincere condolences to loved ones.
Evgeny Buzhinsky,
Chairman of PIR Center’s Executive Board, ret. Lieutenant General, candidate of Military Sciences
What a grief! A wonderful man, a professional of the highest category and a very worthy and wise general. And how he played chess! There was a time when I came to his office and we played blitz. He won more often than me. At the same time, he took out a bottle of cognac, cut a lemon, and in passing told me how he collected nuclear bombs and warheads with his bare hands. It’s a pity, in recent years we have seen him very rarely. And rarely called up. I will keep his bright image in my memory. Eternal memory to the person dear to me!
Viktor Litovkin,
military analyst
Evgeny Petrovich is a man of history, a man of a generous spirit and unbending optimism. A great loss for the country and a great loss for those who knew him.
Vadim Kozyulin,
Consultant at PIR Center, Candidate of Political Sciences, Professor of the Academy of Military Sciences
Condolences. A great man. Such people are not produced anymore. An honest, wonderful life.
Dmitry Evstafyev,
PIR Center Advisory Board member
Blessed memory to a comrade!!! It’s an irreparable loss.
Vyacheslav Trubnikov,
PIR Center Executive Board member, Army General, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Hero of the Russian Federation
My sincere condolences. This General is a legend!
Togzhan Kassenova,
Senior Researcher at the University of New York at Albany
I never managed to get to know Evgeny Petrovich personally. In 2021, I had a chance to talk to him several times by correspondence, and letters and messages alone were enough to understand that at the other end of the wire is an open, friendly, very kind person. Communication with Evgeny Petrovich always brought a smile on his face, I really wanted to finally meet him in person. Life has taught a lesson – do not postpone anything for later, especially face-to-face dialogue. A worthy man has left this world, one of the brightest role models, which the modern generation is becoming less and less. Evgeny Petrovich honestly and selflessly served his homeland, was a patriot of his country. “And with this “must” and “it’s necessary” I have lived all my life,” are his own words. How many people could do that now? The work of Colonel-General Yevgeny Petrovich Maslin, achievements in the field of non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and nuclear security, he himself as a person and a citizen should never be forgotten. Keeping his memory alive is the least we can do to pay tribute to someone who worked for peace and security. Blessed memory.
Elena Karnaukhova,
Assistant Director of the PIR Center for Special Projects,
PIR Center Education & Training Program Coordinator
I want to say that Evgeny Petrovich has done a lot both for the 12th Main Directorate and for the Russian state in the development of international military-technical cooperation. I recall 1995, when two strategic agreements were signed for the first time under the framework agreement on cooperation in the nuclear field, which were signed by Clinton and Yeltsin. Yevgeny Petrovich signed two agreements under this framework: one on the safe storage of nuclear weapons, and the other on safe transportation. He was the first, like Gagarin in space, so he pushed forward these agreements.
Vladimir Verkhovtsev,
Colonel-General, Candidate of Technical Sciences, Director General of ARMZ
Sad news from Moscow – General Evgeny Maslin passed away on February 28. He was the head of the 12th Main Directorate, which handles nuclear weapons, in 1992-1997. He oversaw safe withdrawal of nuclear weapons from KZ, BY, and UA. One of the old school professionals I respected.
Pavel Podvig,
Director of the “Russian strategic nuclear forces” project, Senior Research Fellow at UNIDIR
I have the greatest respect for General Maslin’s role in ensuring safe and secure handling of nuclear weapons during very difficult times. My deepest condolences to his family. He was a giant among nuclear professionals.
Rose Gottemoeller,
Frank E. and Arthur W. Payne Distinguished Lecturer at Stanford University
