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

Year Image Winner Field Prize motivation Notes Country Soutce of information
1904 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 laureate  Russian Empire [2][3][4]
1908 Ilya Mechnikov
(1845 – 1916)
Russian: Илья Ильич Мечников
Physiology or Medicine “In recognition of their work on immunity Metchnikoff 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.  Russian Empire [5][6]
1933 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.  France (exiled) [7][8]
1952 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 Empire  United States [9]
1956 Nikolay Semyonov
(1896 – 1986)
Russian: Николай Николаевич Семёнов
Chemistry “For their researches into the mechanism of chemical reactions First Russian Nobel laureate in Chemistry  Soviet Union [10][11]
1958 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]  Soviet Union [12][13]
1958 Igor Tamm Physics  Soviet Union
Ilya Frank
Pavel Cherenkov
1962[14] Lev Landau[14] Physics[14] Landau was awarded for his "pioneering theories for condensed matter, especially liquid helium."[14] He was unable to attend the ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden to receive the prize personally, due to a car accident.[14] Rolf Sulman, the Swedish ambassador in the Soviet Union at the time presented the award to Landau in Moscow in 1962.[14]  Soviet Union
1964 Nikolay Basov Physics  Soviet Union
Alexander Prokhorov
1965[15] Mikhail Sholokhov[15] Literature[15]  Soviet Union
1970 Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn Literature Solzhenitsyn was expelled from the Soviet Union in 1974.[1]  Soviet Union
1973 Wassily Leontief Economics First Russian Nobel laureate in Economics  United States
1975 Andrei Sakharov Peace First Russian nobel laureate in Peace  Soviet Union
Leonid Kantorovich Economics  Soviet Union
1977[16] Ilya Prigogine[16] Chemistry[16] Awarded "for his contributions to non-equilibrium thermodynamics, particularly the theory of dissipative structures".[17]  Belgium
1978 Pyotr Kapitsa Physics  Soviet Union
1987 Joseph Brodsky Literature He was not a citizen of the USSR from 1972  United States
1990 Mikhail Gorbachev Peace  Soviet Union
2000[18] Zhores Alferov[18] Physics[18] 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".[18]  Russia
2003 Alexei Alexeyevich Abrikosov Physics  Russia / United States
Vitaly Ginzburg  Russia
2010 Andre Geim Physics  United Kingdom / Netherlands
Konstantin Novoselov  United Kingdom / Russia
2021[19] Dmitry Muratov[19] Peace[19] Muratov shared the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize with Filipino-American journalist and author Maria Ressa.[19]  Russia
2022 Memorial Peace 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.[20]  Russia

Source:[21]

References

  1. ^ a b c McSmith, A. (2015). Fear and the Muse Kept Watch: The Russian Masters--from Akhmatova and Pasternak to Shostakovich and Eisenstein--under Stalin. New Press. pp. 202–203. ISBN 978-1-59558-056-6. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
  2. ^ "Ivan Pavlov -Facts". nobelprize.org. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
  3. ^ Daroff, R.B.; Aminoff, M.J. (2014). Encyclopedia of the Neurological Sciences. Elsevier Science. p. 847. ISBN 978-0-12-385158-1. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  4. ^ Jason, G.J. (2022). The Critical Thinking Book. Broadview Press. p. 202. ISBN 978-1-77048-832-8. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
  5. ^ Magner, L.N. (2002). A History of the Life Sciences, Revised and Expanded. Taylor & Francis. p. 242. ISBN 978-0-8247-4360-4. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  6. ^ "Ilya Mechnikov -Facts". nobelprize.org. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
  7. ^ "A Memory Keeper Wins the Nobel". The New Yorker. October 19, 2015. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  8. ^ "Ivan Bunin -Facts". nobelprize.org. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
  9. ^ "Selman A. Waksman -Facts". nobelprize.org. Retrieved 23 February 2025.
  10. ^ Yasnitsky, A.; Van der Veer, R. (2015). Revisionist Revolution in Vygotsky Studies: The State of the Art. Taylor & Francis. p. 270. ISBN 978-1-317-50042-1. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  11. ^ "Nikolay Semenov -Facts". nobelprize.org. Retrieved 23 February 2025.
  12. ^ a b Zorza, Victor (October 9, 2020). "Archive, 9 October 1970: Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn wins the Nobel Prize in Literature". the Guardian. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  13. ^ "Boris Pasternak -Facts". nobelprize.org. Retrieved 23 February 2025.
  14. ^ a b c d e f Yevdayev, Milikh (September 13, 2018). "Lev Landau: A Jewish Physicist and Nobel-Winning Genius from Azerbaijan". Jewish Journal. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
  15. ^ a b c Marie, Mustafa (December 13, 2021). "Statue of Russian writer Mikhail Sholokhov in Alexandria unveiled". Egypt Today. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
  16. ^ a b c "Longhorn Laureates". UT News. December 9, 2019. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
  17. ^ https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/chemistry/1977/summary/
  18. ^ a b c d "Zhores Alferov, 88, Dies; Nobel Winner Paved Way for Laser Technology". The New York Times. March 2, 2019. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
  19. ^ a b c d Taylor, Adam (October 8, 2021). "Who is Dmitry Muratov, Russian journalist and co-winner of the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize?". Washington Post. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  20. ^ "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.
  21. ^ "Nobel Laureates and Country of Birth". www.nobelprize.org. Archived from the original on 2013-09-17.
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