“I am convinced that international confidence, mutual understanding, disarmament, and international security are inconceivable without an open society with freedom of information, freedom of conscience, the right to publish, and the right to travel and choose the country in which one wishes to live. I am likewise convinced that freedom of conscience, together with the other civic rights, provides the basis for scientific progress and constitutes a guarantee that scientific advances will not be used to despoil mankind, providing the basis for economic and social progress, which in turn is a political guarantee for the possibility of an effective defense of social rights.”
Nobel lecture, 1975
Dr Andrei D Sakharov (1921 – 1989) was a scientist, humanist and thinker, whose ideas were decades ahead of his time. Often styled as “the father of the Soviet hydrogen bomb”, Sakharov played a profound role in the struggle for nuclear disarmament, international cooperation, and the defense of human rights around the world.
The Andrei Sakharov Foundation (ASF) strives to preserve his legacy, as we believe that the world will be a safer and better place if the words and ideas of Sakharov were to be broadly heard.
Andrei Sakharov left an indelible mark on physics in a very broad context, creating whole new fields of research through his characteristic and unique combination of deep fundamental scientific insight and engineering creativity. At the age of 47, he published “Reflections on Progress, Peaceful Co-existence and Intellectual Freedom”, a groundbreaking publication that highlighted the link between human rights and international security. The Nobel Peace Committee styled him “the conscience of humankind” in recognition of his tireless fight to help the most vulnerable people. His ideas about environmental protection and what he called the “universal information system” (similar to what we call the Internet) are examples of his great foresight.
Andrei Sakharov was instrumental in the signing of two major nuclear disarmament treaties between the USSR and USA – the Moscow Treaty of 1963 and the Intermediate-Force Nuclear Weapons Treaty of 1987. His standing as a leading expert in nuclear weapons development lent the utmost credibility to his warnings about the perils of a thermonuclear war. This helped convince both the Soviet and American governments of the need to reach those agreements.
It is therefore not surprising that countries around the world have named streets, squares, gardens, as well as mountain peaks, asteroids, and, of course, scientific centers and institutions after Andrei Sakharov.
The Sakharov Archives in Moscow contain thousands of unique documents pertaining to Sakharov’s life and activities, as well as materials on the history of the human rights movement in the USSR. In the United States, the Andrei Sakharov Archives at Harvard University provide an institutional base for research and education in the history of the Soviet Union, on the current situation in Russia, and on human rights topics.
For over a quarter of a century, the ASF supported Moscow Sakharov Center. The Andrei Sakharov Museum and Community Center was dedicated to peace, progress, and human rights. Its exhibits, events, and library recount the history of the Soviet Union through the prism of the Stalinist repressions. The Center had served as a rallying point for Russians who hoped to preserve Sakharov’s dream of a free society. The last public event at the Center in Moscow was an exhibition dedicated to Elena Bonner, which opened on what would have been her 100th birthday in February 2023. However, by that time, the ASF had severed all connections with the Russian colleagues to enable their compliance with the Russian law.
To mark Andrei Sakharov’s centennial in 2021, many events, such as conferences, exhibitions, concerts and round-table discussions were conducted across the world. The ASF played a role in sponsoring three documentaries about Andrei Sakharov, as well as the publication of several new books.
Vice-President of the ASF, Sakharov’s granddaughter Marina, led the effort of setting up the Andrei Sakharov Science Endowment Fund, which awards annual Sakharov scholarships to talented Russian physics students to support scientific progress and perpetuate Sakharov’s legacy.
In 2023, on Sakharov’s 102nd birthday, the ASF organized a major charitable event, a concert at Carnegie Hall, New York. An outstanding line-up of the world’s most celebrated musicians paid tribute to a remarkable man.