Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a telegram to the family of Evgeny Velikhov, who had passed away on Dec. 5 at the age of 90 in Moscow. In it, Putin wrote, “The passing of Evgeny Velikhov is a tremendous and irreparable loss for Russian science, as well as for our country, which he honestly and selflessly served all his life. Academician Velikhov was an outstanding physicist and innovator who possessed inexhaustible creative energy. His exceptional professionalism, management and leadership skills, and vast experience were invariably in demand in responsible projects. The projects he worked on were a true reflection of the colossal calibre of his personality.
“Evgeny Velikhov was always full of new, daring ideas and designs. This is how he will be remembered by his family, friends, colleagues, and students. He will forever remain in our memory.”
Viktor Matveyev, the scientific director of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR) commented to Izvestia, “Evgeny Velikhov was a student of academicians Igor Kurchatov and Anatoly Alexandrov. He was a man who is widely known in the world due to his pioneering contribution to the development of fundamental and applied research in nuclear physics and, in particular, the creation and development of a new scientific direction related to the peaceful use of thermonuclear energy in the interests of all mankind.”
