Viktor Sadovnichiy
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Viktor Antonovich Sadovnichiy (; born 3 April 1939) is a Russian mathematician, winner of the 1989
USSR State Prize The USSR State Prize () was one of the Soviet Union’s highest civilian honours, awarded from its establishment in September 1966 until the dissolution of the USSR in 1991. It recognised outstanding contributions in the fields of science, mathem ...
, and since 1992 the rector of Moscow State University. One of the main opinion leaders in Russia, Sadovnichiy has significant political and social influence.


Biography

Sadovnichiy was born in the village of Krasnopavlovka in
Kharkov Oblast Kharkiv Oblast (, ), also referred to as Kharkivshchyna (), is an oblast (province) in eastern Ukraine. Kharkiv borders Luhansk Oblast to the east, Donetsk Oblast to the southeast, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast to the southwest, Poltava Oblast to the wes ...
(now in
Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...
) to worker Anton Grigoryevich and collective farmer Anna Matveyevna.


Study

After graduating from rural school, Sadovnichiy worked for some time at the Komsomolets coal mine in Gorlovka (
Donetsk Oblast Donetsk Oblast, also referred to as Donechchyna (, ), is an Oblasts of Ukraine, oblast in eastern Ukraine. It is Ukraine's most populous province, with around 4.1 million residents. Its capital city, administrative centre is Donetsk, though d ...
) and studied at night school, from which he graduated with honors. In an interview, he said that he planned to enter the Belarusian State Agricultural Academy, but on the advice of a friend, in 1958, he entered the
MSU Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics The MSU Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics () is a faculty of Moscow State University. History Although lectures in mathematics had been delivered since Moscow State University was founded in 1755, the mathematical and physical department was ...
. In 1963, he graduated with honors with a degree in mathematics. Sadovnichiy was sent to graduate school and graduated in 1966, defending his PhD thesis on 17 March 1967 (topic: "Regularized sums of eigenvalues of general problems for ordinary differential equations"). He was a student of Anatoly Kostyuchenko. After graduate school, he remained as an assistant.


Early career

Sadovnichiy defended his
doctoral A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...
thesis in 1974 (topic: "On some issues in the theory of ordinary differential equations depending on the spectral parameter"). In 1975, he became Professor. In 1981-1982, he headed the Department of
Functional Analysis Functional analysis is a branch of mathematical analysis, the core of which is formed by the study of vector spaces endowed with some kind of limit-related structure (for example, Inner product space#Definition, inner product, Norm (mathematics ...
and Its Applications,
MSU Faculty of Computational Mathematics and Cybernetics MSU Faculty of Computational Mathematics and Cybernetics (CMC) (), founded in 1970 by Andrey Nikolayevich Tychonoff, Andrey Tikhonov, is a part of Moscow State University. Education CMC is a Russian research and training center in the fields of ...
. Since 1982, Sadovnichiy has been the head of the
calculus Calculus is the mathematics, mathematical study of continuous change, in the same way that geometry is the study of shape, and algebra is the study of generalizations of arithmetic operations. Originally called infinitesimal calculus or "the ...
department of the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics. He worked at Moscow State University in the following positions: deputy dean of the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics for scientific work, deputy vice-rector, vice-rector (1982-1984), and first vice-rector (1984-1992).


Rectorship of the MSU

On 23 March 1992, Sadovnichiy was elected rector of Moscow State University on an alternative basis and re-elected in 1996, 2001, and 2005 (uncontested). Sadovnichiy has been a corresponding member of the
Russian Academy of Sciences The Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS; ''Rossíyskaya akadémiya naúk'') consists of the national academy of Russia; a network of scientific research institutes from across the Russian Federation; and additional scientific and social units such ...
since 1994, a full member since 1997, and a member of the Academy's Presidium. In 1989, he was awarded with the
USSR State Prize The USSR State Prize () was one of the Soviet Union’s highest civilian honours, awarded from its establishment in September 1966 until the dissolution of the USSR in 1991. It recognised outstanding contributions in the fields of science, mathem ...
. From 2008 to 2013, he was Vice-President of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Doctor Emeritus of universities worldwide and the author of some 150 works. Sadovnichiy is President of the Russian Union of Rectors (since 1994), President of the Moscow Society of Naturalists (since 2000), and Chairman of the Russian Council of School Olympiads. Member of the Board of Trustees of the Russian Academy of Education. Since 1989, he has been a member of the Council of the Association of Universities of the USSR (since 1992, the Eurasian Association of Universities); since 1992, he has been heading the Association. Sadovnichiy is a member of the editorial board of scientific journals ''Problem Analysis and Public Management Design'', ''Quantum Computers and Quantum Computing'' (editor-in-chief), ''Higher Education in Russia'', and '' Fundamental and Applied Mathematics''. Under the scientific supervision of Sadovnichiy, more than 65 candidate's and 15 doctoral dissertations (including scientists from other countries) were prepared. In November 2011, bas-relief portraits of outstanding university rectors were installed in the rotunda of the
main building of Moscow State University The main building of Moscow State University () is a , 36-story (central part) skyscraper in Moscow, Russia. It was designed by Lev Rudnev as the headquarters of Moscow State University, and is the tallest among the " Seven Sisters" constructed i ...
:
Alexander Nesmeyanov Alexander Nikolayevich Nesmeyanov (; – 17 January 1980) was a Soviet chemist and academician (1943) specializing in organometallic chemistry. Biography He was born in Moscow. He had two brothers Vasily (1904) and Andrei (1911) and a sister Ta ...
, Ivan Petrovsky, and Sadovnichiy. In 2022, he was the lead signature on the Address of the Russian Union of Rectors, which called to support
Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Ru ...
in his invasion of Ukraine.


World financial economic crisis

In their co-authored article “On the Possibilities to Forecast the Current Crisis and its Second Wave” (with Askar Akaev and
Andrey Korotayev Andrey Vitalievich Korotayev (; born 17 February 1961) is a Russian anthropology, anthropologist, economic history, economic historian, comparative politics, comparative political scientist, demography, demographer and sociology, sociologist ...
) in the Russian academic journal “Ekonomicheskaya politika” (December 2010. Issue 6. Pages 39–4
Клиодинамика - математические методы в истории
the three authors published «a forecast of the second wave of the crisis, which suggested that it may start in July — August, 2011».


Honours and awards

*
Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" The Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" () is a state decoration of the Russian Federation. It was instituted on 2 March 1994 by Presidential Decree 442. Until the re-establishment of the Order of St. Andrew in 1998, it was the highest order of ...
; **1st class (April 16, 2019) for his outstanding contribution to the development of national education and many years of research and teaching activities **2nd class (25 January 2005) for outstanding contribution to the development of education and many years of scientific and teaching activities **3rd class (2 April 1999) for services to science, the talent and years of diligent work **4th class (31 March 2009) for the great achievements in science, education and training of qualified specialists *
Order of the Red Banner of Labour The Order of the Red Banner of Labour () was an order of the Soviet Union established to honour great deeds and services to the Soviet state and society in the fields of production, science, culture, literature, the arts, education, sports ...
, twice *
Medal "In Commemoration of the 850th Anniversary of Moscow" The Medal "In Commemoration of the 850th Anniversary of Moscow" () is a commemorative medal of the Russian Federation created to denote the 850th anniversary of the city of Moscow. It was established on 26 February 1997 by Presidential Decree ...
* Jubilee Medal "In Commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of the Birth of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin" * Order of Francysk Skaryna (Belarus) *
Order of Friendship The Order of Friendship (, ') is a state decoration of the Russian Federation established by Boris Yeltsin by presidential decree 442 of 2 March 1994 to reward Russian and foreign nationals whose work, deeds and efforts have been aimed at ...
(Kazakhstan, 1998) *
Order of Merit The Order of Merit () is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by Edward VII, admission into the order r ...
(Ukraine); **1st class (26 March 2009) for his outstanding personal contribution to strengthening Russian-Ukrainian cooperation in education and science, and many years of fruitful scientific and social activity **2nd class (6 December 2002) for personal contribution into development of Ukrainian-Russian cooperation, active participation in providing for the Year of Ukraine in the Russian Federation **3rd class (30 March 1999) a significant personal contribution to the development of economic and scientific-technical cooperation between Ukraine and the Russian Federation Sadovnichiy was stripped of his Ukrainian awards on 19 January 2025 by a decree of
Ukrainian President The president of Ukraine (, ) is the head of state of Ukraine. The president represents the nation in international relations, administers the foreign political activity of the state, conducts negotiations and concludes international treaties. ...
Volodymyr Zelenskyy Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy (born 25 January 1978) is a Ukrainian politician and former entertainer who has served as the sixth and current president of Ukraine since 2019. He took office five years after the start of the Russo-Ukraini ...
. * Commander of the
Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...
(France) *
Order of the Rising Sun The is a Japanese honors system, Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese government, created on 10 April 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge feat ...
, 2nd class (Japan, 2008) - for his contribution to scientific and technical cooperation and deepening understanding between the two countries *
Order of Holy Prince Daniel of Moscow The Order of Holy Prince Daniel of Moscow () is an award of the Russian Orthodox Church, established in 1988. There are three classes. History The Order was created by the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Pimen I, and the Holy Synod of 28 ...
, 2nd class (Russian Orthodox Church) *
USSR State Prize The USSR State Prize () was one of the Soviet Union’s highest civilian honours, awarded from its establishment in September 1966 until the dissolution of the USSR in 1991. It recognised outstanding contributions in the fields of science, mathem ...
(1989) *
State Prize of the Russian Federation The State Prize of the Russian Federation, officially translated in Russia as Russian Federation National Award, is a state honorary prize established in 1992 following the breakup of the Soviet Union. In 2004 the rules for selection of laureates ...
in the field of science and technology (2002) * Award of the Government of the Russian Federation (2006, 2011, 2012) * Honorary Citizen of Moscow (2008) * Honorary Member of the Russian Academy of Education * Honorary Member of
Russian Academy of Arts Russian Academy of Arts (RAA / rus. РАХ, Росси́йская акаде́мия худо́жеств) is the State scientific Institution of Russian Federation, eligible heir to the USSR Academy of Arts. A founder of RAA is the Governmen ...


Antisemitism controversy

In the 1970s–1980s, Sadovnichiy held positions of responsibility in the admissions committee for applicants for entrance exams at Moscow State University. Alexander Shen, George Szpiro, and other mathematicians accused Sadovnichiy of being a leading proponent of the discriminatory policy that prevented the mass admission of applicants of Jewish origin to the MSU Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics.


Public work

In 2004, Sadovnichiy was named “Person of the Year” by Rambler in the “Education and Science” nomination of the “People of the Year” project. In October 2014, the Moscow State University, the Russian Post, and "The Teacher's Newspaper" organized a contest essays among one hundred thousand of Russian high school student on the topic "The person I trust". A few best essays, all of them written about the Russian president
Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Ru ...
, were personally presented by Sadovnichiy to president Putin in October 2014.


Political activity

During his studies, Sadovnichiy was engaged in social work, heading the university's student committee and the faculty's
Komsomol The All-Union Leninist Young Communist League, usually known as Komsomol, was a political youth organization in the Soviet Union. It is sometimes described as the youth division of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU), although it w ...
organization. Throughout his years at MSU, Sadovnichiy was an active member of the
Communist Party of the Soviet Union The Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU),. Abbreviated in Russian as КПСС, ''KPSS''. at some points known as the Russian Communist Party (RCP), All-Union Communist Party and Bolshevik Party, and sometimes referred to as the Soviet ...
, was a member of the party committees of the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics and Moscow State University, and in 1977 became head of the university's party committee. Sadovnichiy said the following about the relation between his political activity and rectorship of the MSU in the early 90s: Since December 2002, Sadovnichiy has been a member of the political council of the Moscow regional branch of the
United Russia The All-Russian Political Party United Russia (, ) is the Ruling party, ruling List of political parties in Russia, political party of Russia. As the largest party in the Russian Federation, it holds 325 (or 72.22%) of the 450 seats in the St ...
party. He is also a member of the party's Supreme Council. He took part in the elections of deputies to the State Duma of the Russian Federation in 2003, but after that, he refused his mandate as a deputy. On 6 February 2012, for the
2012 Russian presidential election Presidential elections were held in Russia on 4 March 2012. There were five officially registered candidates: four representatives of registered parties, and one nominal independent. The election was the first one held after constitutional amend ...
, Sadovnichiy was officially registered as a trusted representative of Russian presidential candidate
Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Ru ...
. During the
2018 Russian presidential election Presidential elections were held in Russia on 18 March 2018. Incumbent president Vladimir Putin was eligible to run. He declared his intent to do so on 6 December 2017 and was expected to win. This came following several months of speculation t ...
, Sadovnichiy was a member of the initiative group that nominated the candidacy of Russian President Vladimir Putin. He was also included in the list of Putin's trusted representatives. On 14 November 2019, the State Duma Committee on Education and Science approved an amendment for adoption in the second reading that will allow President Vladimir Putin to reappoint the rectors of Moscow State University and
Saint Petersburg State University Saint Petersburg State University (SPBGU; ) is a public research university in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in Russia. Founded in 1724 by a decree of Peter the Great, the university from the be ...
an unlimited number of times. On 3 April 2022 Sadovnichiy initiated a letter of the rectors of Russian universities supporting the
Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...
. The document, signed by Sadovnichiy and co-signed by 304 other rectors of Russian universities, calls, among other things, for the "demilitarization and
denazification Denazification () was an Allied initiative to rid German and Austrian society, culture, press, economy, judiciary, and politics of the Nazi ideology following the Second World War. It was carried out by removing those who had been Nazi Par ...
of Ukraine", for "support o be given tothe ussianarmy and the president". The letter says that "supporting the patriotism is a duty of the ussianuniversities", and that the " ussianuniversities were always mong thesupporting piers of the ussianstate". In response for his support of the invasion, he was deprived of honorary doctorates from Ukrainian universities in
Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...
,
Kharkiv Kharkiv, also known as Kharkov, is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city in Ukraine.
and
Dnipro Dnipro is Ukraine's fourth-largest city, with about one million inhabitants. It is located in the eastern part of Ukraine, southeast of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on the Dnieper River, Dnipro River, from which it takes its name. Dnipro is t ...
. On 9 June 2022, Ukraine imposed sanctions on him.


References


Member info: Sadovnichiy, Viktor Antonovich
Russian Academy of Sciences The Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS; ''Rossíyskaya akadémiya naúk'') consists of the national academy of Russia; a network of scientific research institutes from across the Russian Federation; and additional scientific and social units such ...
. Accessed January 23, 2010
Viktor Antonovich SADOVNICHIY - Rector of Lomonosov Moscow State University.
Moscow State University Moscow State University (MSU), officially M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University,. is a public university, public research university in Moscow, Russia. The university includes 15 research institutes, 43 faculties, more than 300 departments, a ...
. Accessed January 23, 2010


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sadovnichiy, Viktor Antonovich 1939 births Living people Full Members of the Russian Academy of Sciences Honorary members of the Russian Academy of Education Members of the Tajik Academy of Sciences Moscow State University alumni Academic staff of Moscow State University Russian people of Ukrainian descent People from Krasnopavlivka, Kharkiv Oblast Russian mathematicians Soviet mathematicians Commanders of the Legion of Honour Full Cavaliers of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" Recipients of the Order of Alexander Nevsky Recipients of the Order of Francysk Skaryna Recipients of Order of Friendship of Uzbekistan Recipients of the Order of Holy Prince Daniel of Moscow Recipients of the Order of Merit (Ukraine), 1st class Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour Recipients of the Order of the Rising Sun, 2nd class Recipients of the USSR State Prize State Prize of the Russian Federation laureates Rectors of Moscow State University United Russia politicians