He was not only an outstanding physicist, but also a moral compass for an entire generation, becoming in the late 1980s one of the main voices of conscience and freedom.

⌛The судьба of Andrei Dmitrievich Sakharov is unique: one of the creators of the Soviet thermonuclear weapon later became one of the world’s best-known advocates for disarmament, human rights, and гуманист values. Realizing that scientific progress without moral principles could lead humanity to catastrophe, Sakharov consciously chose the path of serving humanity.

For his principles, he paid a high price — enduring pressure, smear campaigns, and years of exile in Gorky. He openly condemned the war in Afghanistan and consistently emphasized that international security is impossible without respect for human rights and freedoms.

At the First Congress of People’s Deputies, Sakharov became one of the symbols of an era of change. He proposed his own draft Constitution, where the key principle was the priority of the individual, their rights, and dignity over the interests of the state. Even today, these ideas remain strikingly relevant.

📢Sometimes I think about what Andrei Dmitrievich would say if he could see what is happening now. Most likely, it would be especially painful for him to witness the destruction once again of the very foundations of freedom and humanism for which he fought throughout his life. And there is little doubt that in today’s Russia, he too would quickly be labeled a “foreign agent” and pressured into silence.

This is reflected in the treatment of initiatives preserving his memory: Sakharov Center was declared a “foreign agent” and later liquidated, while the Andrei Sakharov Foundation was added to the list of “undesirable” organizations.

Sakharov dreamed of a country where the state exists for the individual, rather than the individual becoming a tool of the state.

🛡Our institute deeply values the legacy that Andrei Dmitrievich left to Russia’s human rights movement. His courage, humanism, and commitment to the principles of freedom and human dignity became a moral reference point for many generations. We consider it a great honor to continue the work to which he devoted his life and to preserve the values for which he fought. It is precisely as a sign of profound gratitude and respect for his historic contribution that our institute bears the name of Andrei Dmitrievich Sakharov — a man whose legacy continues to inspire us today.

His life became proof that truth cannot be destroyed forever. Despite persecution, isolation, and pressure, his ideas continued to live on, inspiring people to fight for freedom, dignity, and the right to remain themselves.

Today, the best way to preserve Sakharov’s memory is to remain faithful to the values to which he devoted his life: respect for human life, freedom, and dignity — even when defending them becomes especially difficult.