Aleksandr Starovoitov | |
|---|---|
| Native name | Александр Владимирович Старовойтов |
| Born | 18 October 1940 Balashov, Saratov Oblast, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union |
| Died | 17 July 2021 (aged 80) Moscow, Russia |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance |  Soviet Union Russia |
| Years of service | 1986–1999 |
| Rank | Army General |
| Commands | Federal Agency of Government Communications and Information |
| Awards | Hero of the Russian Federation Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" Third and Fourth Classes Order of Alexander Nevsky Order of the Red Banner of Labour Order of the Badge of Honour Medal "Veteran of Labour" State Prize of the Russian Federation |
Aleksandr Vladimirovich Starovoitov (Russian: Александр Владимирович Старовойтов; 18 October 1940 – 17 July 2021) was an officer of the Soviet and Russian security services and academic, specialising in communications technologies. He reached the rank of army general, and was awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.
Starovoitov's education and early career was spent specialising in electronics and communications, and after obtaining qualifications and practical experience in this area, he began research work at the Penza Scientific Electrotechnical Research Institute. Over the years he rose to head the institute, and became general director of the "Krystal" Research and Production Association, working under the Ministry of Communication Equipment Industry. During this time he oversaw the development of information security systems which were employed in the Soviet Armed Forces, governmental departments and organs, and in economic and financial institutions. By the late 1980s he had become a leading expert in the field of communications research and development, and in 1986 he was appointed deputy head for technological equipment of the KGB's Government Communications Department. He was briefly chairman of the Government Communications Committee prior to the dissolution of the Soviet Union, and then became general director of FAPSI, the Federal Agency of Government Communications and Information.
Under Starovoitov's leadership FAPSI became one of the largest intelligence agencies in the Russian Federation, and he rose through the ranks to become an army general. Dismissed from his post in 1998, he retired in 1999, being awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation that year. He remained active in commercial fields related to his service, in senior leadership positions in businesses and enterprises, as well as in research and academia. He was a member of numerous scientific bodies and academies, and had received a number of academic and governmental distinctions prior to his death in 2021.