Andrei Kolmogorov
(1903−1987)

On October 23, 1987, identical articles were published in the two main newspapers of the USSR, "Pravda" and "Izvestiya." These were obituaries in memory of Andrei Nikolayevich Kolmogorov, signed by 32 prominent statesmen and scientists of that time. According to legend, Mikhail Gorbachev personally made a correction by hand in the draft of this obituary.
Soviet science suffered a heavy loss. On October 20, 1987, at the age of 85, the outstanding Soviet scientist, the leading mathematician, Hero of Socialist Labor Academician Andrei Nikolayevich Kolmogorov passed away.

Andrei Kolmogorov's name is associated with fundamental scientific achievements in mathematics. A mathematician and naturalist, theorist and practitioner, A.N. Kolmogorov occupies a prominent place in modern science. He enriched many fields of knowledge with significant ideas and results: the theory of functions and set theory, geometry and topology, probability theory and mathematical statistics, cybernetics and mathematical logic, hydrodynamics and celestial mechanics. His monograph "Foundations of the Theory of Probability" gained particular fame worldwide, defining the development of probability theory and random processes.

A.N. Kolmogorov was born on April 25, 1903, in the city of Tambov. In 1920, he entered Moscow University, and from that time on, his entire life was associated with the university. As a student, graduate student, research fellow, and professor at the university since 1931, he established several departments and laboratories there, as well as a boarding school, and until the end of his days, he headed the mathematics department of the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics at Moscow State University. In 1939, A.N. Kolmogorov was elected a full member of the USSR Academy of Sciences and was the academic secretary of the Department of Physical and Mathematical Sciences of the USSR Academy of Sciences. At the V.A. Steklov Mathematical Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences, A.N. Kolmogorov organized and headed departments of probability theory, mathematical statistics, and information theory. A.N. Kolmogorov founded several scientific schools that produced many outstanding Soviet scientists. For a long time, A.N. Kolmogorov was the president of the Moscow Mathematical Society, a member of the main editorial board of the Great Soviet Encyclopedia, and the chief editor of central mathematical journals.

A.N.  Kolmogorov's scientific activities received broad international recognition. He was elected a member of more than twenty foreign academies and scientific societies. The Communist Party and the Soviet state highly appreciated A.N. Kolmogorov's merits. He was awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor and was decorated with seven Orders of Lenin, the Order of the October Revolution, and other awards. A.N. Kolmogorov was awarded the Lenin and State Prizes of the USSR, as well as prizes of the USSR Academy of Sciences.

The entire life of Andrei Nikolayevich Kolmogorov was an unparalleled feat in the name of science. He was an example of nobility, selflessness, and moral purity in serving the socialist Motherland. A.N. Kolmogorov entered the galaxy of great Russian and world scientists. His bright memory will forever remain in the hearts of Soviet people.

M.S. Gorbachev, V.I. Vorotnikov, L.N. Zaykov, E.K. Ligachev, N.I. Ryzhkov, N.N. Slyunkov, A.N. Yakovlev, B.N. Yeltsin, G.I. Marchuk, B.A. Grigoriev, G.A. Yagodin, V.A. Kotel'nikov, P.N. Fedoseev, E.P. Velikhov, A.A. Logunov, V.A. Koptiug, K.V. Frolov, A.L. Yanshin, G.K. Skryabin, N.N. Bogolyubov, V.S. Vladimirov, I.M. Gelfand, V.S. Mikhailevich, E.F. Mishchenko, S.M. Nikolsky, S.P. Novikov, L.S. Pontryagin, Yu.V. Prokhorov, S.L. Sobolev, A.N. Tikhonov, L.D. Faddeev, A.M. Obukhov.


Obituary ("Pravda", 23.10.1987)
The memory of Andrei Nikolaevich lives on to this day. Commemorative plaques and monuments dedicated to him can be found in various parts of the country.
Exhibition pavilion "VR Kolmogorov" at the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology
©️ Сколковский институт науки и технологий, 2023