Andrei Sakharov

A.D. Sakharov was born in Moscow on May 21, 1921. His father was a private school physics teacher, his grandfather was a prominent lawyer in Tsarist Russia who was concerned about social problems and followed humanist principles. Saharov's parents and grandparents influenced his personality. He was also an honest and noble man.

Sakharov was a very gifted man so he became a great scientist, a mathematician and a physicist. After the World War II Sakharov researched cosmic rays. Aiming to defend Russia from any enemies he participated in the Soviet atomic bomb project under Igor Kurchatov and played a key role in the development of the hydrogen bomb.

In 1953, he received his D.Sc. degree, he was elected a full member of the Soviet Academy of Sciences, and was awarded the first of his three Hero of Socialist Labor titles.

But from the late 1950s Sakharov had become concerned about the moral and political implications of his work. Politically active during the 1960s, Sakharov was against nuclear proliferation. Pushing for the end of atmospheric tests, he played a great role in the 1963 Partial Test Ban Treaty, signed in Moscow. In 1965 he returned to fundamental science and began working on cosmology.

Since 1967 Sakharov had campaigned against the arms race. He fought for a bilateral rejection by the USA and the Soviet Union of the development of anti-ballistic missile defense. He tried to explain to the Soviet government the danger of such kind of defense as it could lead to the likelihood of nuclear war. But the government ignored his warnings.

In the 1970s Sakharov participated in the campaign for the civil rights in the Soviet Union and was exiled from Moscow to Nizhny Novgorod. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1975.

Only when the political situation in Russia changed (1985s) Sakharov was able to return to Moscow and was elected the deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. Being a member of the legislative organ of the country he continued promoting the civil rights and freedom of people. He also played an important role in the first steps of the decreasing of the arms race taken by Gorbachov.

Sakharov is a real hero of Russia. He was honest, strong and persistent. He devoted his life to our Motherland and his deeds have changed the society. I admire Sakharov and I am proud to have such a fellow-citizen.