Born in 1933.

In 1957 — Graduated from the Faculty of Radio Electronics of the Aircraft of the Moscow Aviation Institute (MAI). He then gained the position of engineer in the Problem Laboratory, organized by the department of Professor Michael Neumann.

Since 1962 — employee of the Radio Engineering Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences (head of laboratory, head of research department, director of the centre for the development of radio engineering equipment).

Candidate (1963) and Doctor (1984) of technical sciences. Winner of the A.S. Popov, USSR Academy of Sciences (1965).

In 1992, he was one of the founders, the president and the general director of Vimpel-Communications. In May 2001, he left the post of general director of VimpelCom, becoming its honorary president.

In 2002, he founded and headed the Dynasty Foundation, the first private nonprofit foundation supporting science and education in post-Soviet Russia. In 2015, due to its entry into the register of “foreign agents”, the Dynasty Foundation was closed down.

In February 2015, Zimin was the first to receive a new prize from the Russian Federation's Ministry of Education and Science “For Fidelity to Science”.