Alexander Kalinin, former president of Aquarius and co-founder of the National Computer Corporation (NCC), passed away on July 3, 2026, CNews representatives of the businessman reported. The circumstances of his death were not specified.

Kalinin began his career in the IT industry in 1993 by founding the company "Computelink". In 2003, he became one of the creators of NCC – a holding that topped the CNews rating of the largest IT companies in Russia from 2007 to 2019. Since 2006, Kalinin also headed the Aquarius group of companies.

In 2023, the businessman withdrew from the founders of NCC, transferring his share to his son, and founded JSC "Sovereign Mobile Initiative. Holding" with plans to invest 10 billion rubles in the production of Highscreen smartphones. In 2024, he joined the board of directors of JSC "Secure Communications System" – the copyright holder of the Russian communication platform CommuniGate Pro, an analogue of Microsoft Exchange.

In April 2025, CNews reported that Kalinin, together with former vice-president of Lanit Sergey Belkin, launched a project to create industrial controllers for nuclear and non-nuclear energy facilities, having bought an enterprise in Penza.

The businessman's plans to create a fully localized mobile and desktop operating system for the consumer market remained unrealized. In a 2025 interview, Kalinin noted that the Russian IT market is consolidating around state structures, and it is becoming increasingly difficult for private companies to operate.