List of Russian Nobel laureates

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The Nobel Prizes are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to Mankind."

This list encompasses laureates of the Nobel Prize who were citizens of the Soviet Union or Russia at the time of receiving the award, or at another time during their life. Of note is that Mikhail Sholokhov is the only citizen of the Soviet Union who received approval from the Soviet government to receive their Nobel Prize in literature. [1] During the Soviet period, all other Nobel Laureates in literature or peace (except Gorbachev) were dissidents or exiles. [1]

Soviet and Russian laureates

YearImageWinnerFieldPrize motivationNotesCountrySource of information
1904 Ivan Petrovitch Pavlov. Photograph after a photograph taken Wellcome V0027010.jpg Ivan Pavlov
(1849 – 1936)
Russian:Иван Петрович Павлов
Physiology or Medicine“In recognition of his work on the physiology of digestion, through which knowledge on vital aspects of the subject has been transformed and enlarged”The first Russian Nobel laureateFlag of Russia.svg  Russian Empire [2] [3] [4]
1908 Ilya Mechnikov nobel (cropped).jpg Ilya Mechnikov
(1845 – 1916)
Russian:Илья Ильич Мечников
Physiology or Medicine“In recognition of their work on immunityMetchnikoff shared the 1908 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine with German physician and scientist Paul Ehrlich. Both subjects were awarded for their works regarding immunity.Flag of Russia.svg  Russian Empire [5] [6]
1933 Ivan Bunin 1933.jpg Ivan Bunin
(1870 – 1953)
Russian:Иван Алексеевич Бунин
Literature“For the strict artistry with which he has carried on the classical Russian traditions in prose writing”First Russian Nobel laureate in literature, was not a citizen of the USSR at that time.Flag of France.svg  France (exiled) [7] [8]
1952 Selman Waksman NYWTScrop.jpg Selman Waksman
(1888 – 1973)
Russian:Зельман Абрахам Ваксман
Physiology or Medicine“For his discovery of streptomycin, the first antibiotic effective against tuberculosis”Born in Russian EmpireFlag of the United States.svg  United States [9]
1956 Nikolay Semyonov Nobel.jpg Nikolay Semyonov
(1896 – 1986)
Russian:Николай Николаевич Семёнов
Chemistry“For their researches into the mechanism of chemical reactionsFirst Russian Nobel laureate in ChemistryFlag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union [10] [11]
1958 Boris Pasternak 1959 (cropped).jpg Boris Pasternak
(1890 – 1960)
Russian:Борис Пастернак
Literature“For his important achievement both in contemporary lyrical poetry and in the field of the great Russian epic tradition”After Pasternak announced acceptance of the prize, the government of the Soviet Union then threatened Pasternak of not being allowed into back into the country if he left to accept it. [12] Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union [12] [13]
1958 Igor Tamm.jpg Igor Tamm
(1895 – 1971)
Russian:Игорь Евгеньевич Тамм
Physics“For the discovery and the interpretation of the Cherenkov effect”Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union [14] [15] [16]
Ilya Frank.jpg Ilya Frank
(1908 – 1990)
Russian:Илья Михайлович Франк
Cerenkov.jpg Pavel Cherenkov
(1904 – 1990)
Russian:Павел Алексеевич Черенков
1962 Landau.jpg Lev Landau
(1908 – 1968)
Russian:Лев Давидович Ландау
Physics“For his pioneering theories for condensed matter, especially liquid helium”Landau was awarded for his "pioneering theories for condensed matter, especially liquid helium." [17] He was unable to attend the ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden to receive the prize personally, due to a car accident. [17] Rolf Sulman, the Swedish ambassador in the Soviet Union at the time presented the award to Landau in Moscow in 1962. [17] Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union [17] [18]
1964 Basov.jpg Nikolay Basov
(1922 – 2001)
Russian:Николай Геннадиевич Басов
Physics“For fundamental work in the field of quantum electronics, which has led to the construction of oscillators and amplifiers based on the maser-laser principle”Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union [19] [20]
Aleksandr Prokhorov.jpg Alexander Prokhorov
(1916 – 2002)
Russian:Александр Михайлович Прохоров
1965 Mikhail Sholokhov 1960.jpg Mikhail Sholokhov
(1905 – 1984)
Russian:Михаил Александрович Шолохов
Literature“For the artistic power and integrity with which, in his epic of the Don, he has given expression to a historic phase in the life of the Russian people”Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union [21] [22]
1970 Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn 1974crop.jpg Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
(1918 – 2008)
Russian:Александр Исаевич Солженицын
Literature“For the ethical force with which he has pursued the indispensable traditions of Russian literature”Solzhenitsyn was expelled from the Soviet Union in 1974.Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union [1] [23]
1973 Wassily Leontief 1973.jpg Wassily Leontief
(1905 – 1999)
Russian:Василий Васильевич Леонтьев
Economics“For the development of the input-output method and for its application to important economic problems”First Russian Nobel laureate in EconomicsFlag of the United States.svg  United States [24]
1975 Andrei Sakharov 1989 (cropped).jpg Andrei Sakharov
(1921 – 1989)
Russian:Андрей Дмитриевич Сахаров
Peace“For his struggle for human rights in the Soviet Union, for disarmament and cooperation between all nations”First Russian nobel laureate in PeaceFlag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union [25]
Leonid Kantorovich 1975.jpg Leonid Kantorovich
(1912 – 1986)
Russian:Леонид Витальевич Канторович
Economics“For their contributions to the theory of optimum allocation of resources”Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union [26]
1977 Ilya Prigogine 1977c (cropped).jpg Ilya Prigogine
(1917 – 2003)
Russian:Илья Романович Пригожин
Chemistry“For his contributions to non-equilibrium thermodynamics, particularly the theory of dissipative structures”Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium [27] [28]
1978 Pyotr L Kapitsa Russian physicist 1964.jpg Pyotr Kapitsa
(1894 – 1984)
Russian:Пётр Леонидович Капица
Physics“For his basic inventions and discoveries in the area of low-temperature physics”Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union [29]
1987 Iosif Brodskii (cropped).jpg Joseph Brodsky
(1940 – 1996)
Russian:Иосиф Александрович Бродский
Literature“For an all-embracing authorship, imbued with clarity of thought and poetic intensity”He was not a citizen of the USSR from 1972Flag of the United States.svg  United States [30]
1990 Bush Gorba P15623-25A (cropped).jpg Mikhail Gorbachev
(1931 – 2022)
Russian:Михаил Сергеевич Горбачёв
Peace“For the leading role he played in the radical changes in East-West relations”Flag of the Soviet Union.svg  Soviet Union [31]
2000 Zhores Alferov.jpg Zhores Alferov
(1930 – 2019)
Жарэс Іванавіч Алфёра
Physics“For developing semiconductor heterostructures used in high-speed- and opto-electronics”Alferov shared the 2000 Nobel Prize in Physics with Jack S. Kilby and Herbert Kroemer, both American physicists, for "basic work on information and communication technology".Flag of Russia.svg  Russia [32] [33]
2003 AA Abrikosov ANL4.jpg Alexei Alexeyevich Abrikosov
(1928 – 1928)
Алексей Алексеевич Абрикосов
Physics“For pioneering contributions to the theory of superconductors and superfluids”Flag of Russia.svg  Russia /Flag of the United States.svg  United States [34] [35]
Ginzburg in MSU opaque.jpg Vitaly Ginzburg
(1916 – 2009)
Russian:Виталий Лазаревич Гинзбург
Flag of Russia.svg  Russia
2010 Geim.jpg Andre Geim
(род. 1958)
Russian:Андрей Константинович Гейм
Physics“For groundbreaking experiments regarding the two-dimensional material graphene”Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom /Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands [36] [37]
Nobel Prize 2010-Press Conference KVA-DSC 7427.jpg Konstantin Novoselov
(род. 1974)
Russian:Константин Сергеевич Новосёлов
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom /Flag of Russia.svg  Russia
2021 Dmitry Muratov Four Freedoms Award 2010.jpg Dmitry Muratov
(род. 1961)
Russian:Дмитрий Андреевич Муратов
Peace“For their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace”Muratov shared the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize with Filipino-American journalist and author Maria Ressa.Flag of Russia.svg  Russia [38] [39]
2022 Memorial Logo.png Memorial
(осн. 1987)
Russian:Мемориал
Peace“The Peace Prize laureates represent civil society in their home countries. They have for many years promoted the right to criticise power and protect the fundamental rights of citizens. They have made an outstanding effort to document war crimes, human right abuses and the abuse of power. Together they demonstrate the significance of civil society for peace and democracy”Memorial is an international human rights organisation, founded and originally headquartered in Russia, although it was already banned in Russia in 2021 before the Nobel Prize was awarded to it, and moved abroad.Flag of Russia.svg  Russia [40] [41]

References

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  27. "Longhorn Laureates". UT News. December 9, 2019. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
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  30. "Joseph Brodsky Facts". nobelprize.org. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
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  40. "Human rights campaigners of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine win Nobel Peace Prize". Human rights campaigners of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine win Nobel Peace Prize. Retrieved 2025-02-09.
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