Twenty questions : game 167

[Spartaculous]

Head of state, cabinet minister or party leader?

No.

[damo666]

Born in a Warsaw pact country (or was, or was to become)?

[Spartaculous]

Born in a Warsaw pact country (or was, or was to become)?

Yes. (The location of this person's birth was, at one point, in a Warsaw Pact country - I think that is the correct interpretation here.)

[damo666]

Born in a Warsaw pact country (or was, or was to become)?

Yes. (The location of this person's birth was, at one point, in a Warsaw Pact country - I think that is the correct interpretation here.)

Yep that's what I meant. Thanks.

[damo666]

Gonna take a wild stab as my free guess

Yuri Gagarin

[Spartaculous]

Gonna take a wild stab as my free guess

Yuri Gagarin

No. (In my younger days, I used to call cosmonauts "commie-nauts".)

[damo666]

First language Russian?

[Spartaculous]

First language Russian?

Да.

[cdngooner]

Would this person be widely described as a dissident against either the Soviet Union or post-Soviet Russia?

[Jamiet99uk]

1, 2, 4, 6: Man who died more recently than 1st Jan 1950
3, 5: Born in Europe.
7. Political figure (broadly).
8, 11. First language Russian.
9. Not a head of state, cabinet minister or party leader.
10. Born in a Warsaw Pact country.

NOT Yuri Gagarin

[Spartaculous]

Would this person be widely described as a dissident against either the Soviet Union or post-Soviet Russia?

I'll put it this way: if you were to survey journalists and their ilk (both during his life and right now) whether this person was a Soviet or Russian dissident, you would probably get between 10% and 90% of them to say "yes" to that.

[modderpoel]

Did he die in the Soviet union (both in terms of territory and whether the union still existed when he died)?

[Spartaculous]

Did he die in the Soviet union (both in terms of territory and whether the union still existed when he died)?

No, he did not die on territory that belonged to the USSR at the time of his death.

[damo666]

Died in 21st century?

[Spartaculous]

Died in 21st century?

Yes.

[han-shahanshah]

Best known as a writer or musician?

[Spartaculous]

Best known as a writer or musician?

No.

But free hint: while I definitely consider him a political figure, you are correct that one of our usual categories of people is a better fit for him than "political figure".

Also a free hint that is likely unhelpful: he shares something in common with someone I have previously chosen as the target in this game (and I'm not referring to Tank Man).

[Hanging Rook]

A professional chess player?

[Spartaculous]

A professional chess player?

No; not someone who would leave a rook hanging.

[Hominidae]

Known primarily for scientific or technological work?