[1] Born in Bada on 1 October 1946, Ostanin grew up in a military family and spent his childhood following his father's assignments within the Soviet Union.

After graduating from the Faculty of Mathematics and Mechanics [ru] at Leningrad State University, he held smaller jobs such as a lift operator and a security guard.

Ostanin was co-editor of the Samizdat Tchassy alongside Boris Ivanov, with whom he founded the paper in 1976.

He was one of the co-founders of the Andrei Bely Prize, which became an event for dissident writers and remains a prominent Russian award today.

Boris Ostanin died in Saint Petersburg on 22 September 2023 at the age of 76.