Russian Academy of Sciences
Peter the Great signed a Senate decree on the 8th of February 1724 to establish the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences. This document created an institution modeled after the Paris and Berlin academies. Gottfried Leibniz provided the initial guidance for this new organization before his death in November 1716. The academy opened its doors in December 1725 under Empress Catherine I. Mathematics, physical sciences, and humanities formed the three departments at the start. Eighty-four staff members worked there by 1726. One hundred twelve students enrolled that first year. Seventy-six were Russian while thirty-six came from foreign lands. The academy did not receive an official charter until 1747. Peter I had outlined goals in a document called the Project before he died. Foreign scholars like Leonhard Euler and Christian Goldbach joined the faculty early on. They helped build a system where Russian scholars would eventually replace all foreign experts. The university part of the academy gradually deteriorated and closed by 1767. Research remained the main pillar of the institution.
The Soviet government recognized the Academy of Sciences as the highest all-Union scientific institution in 1925. Headquarters moved from Leningrad to Moscow in 1934. During World War II, scientists developed modern weapons including T-34 tanks and airplane technologies. Degaussing systems protected ships against naval mines during the conflict. The academy participated in the Soviet atomic bomb project after the war ended. Yury Gagarin became the first person in space in 1961 following the launch of Sputnik in 1957. Salyut 1 began operation as the first space station in 1971. Eight divisions existed at the end of the 1940s covering fields from physics to literature. Many scientists underwent repression for ideological reasons during Stalin years. The academy established national academies in other Soviet republics starting with Ukraine in 1918. By 1954, the Kirghiz SSR had its own academy. These institutions delegated prominent scientists to work across different regions. The system created a network of research centers throughout the former Soviet Union.
A presidential decree on the 2nd of December 1991 restored the Russian Academy of Sciences name. State support for science dropped drastically during the crisis of the 1990s. Many scientists left Russia for Europe, Israel or the United States. A generation born between the mid-1960s and mid-1970s disappeared from all research institutes. Total R&D spending in 2013 hovered about 40% below pre-crisis 1990 levels. On the 28th of June 2013, the government announced a draft law to restructure the academy. This plan would fuse the RAS with two other national academies. A new agency called FASO took control of all buildings and property. All academic institutes were removed from direct academy control. Leading scientists wrote open letters calling the reform shocking and criminal. The draft was softened and approved on the 27th of September 2013. Mikhail Kotyukov became head of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education in May 2018. Elections for the RAS president came under government control in 2017.
The Siberian Branch established itself in 1957 with Mikhail Lavrentyev as founding chairman. Research centers operate in Novosibirsk, Tomsk, Krasnoyarsk, Irkutsk, Yakutsk, Ulan-Ude, Kemerovo, Tyumen and Omsk. Over 12,500 scientific researchers work there today. One hundred ninety-nine members belong to the Academy within this branch. The Ural Branch started in 1932 under Alexander Fersman. Centers exist in Yekaterinburg, Perm, Cheliabinsk, Izhevsk, Orenburg, Ufa and Syktyvkar. One hundred thirteen Ural scientists hold Academy membership. The St. Petersburg Branch opened in 2023. As of the 25th of November 2025, one hundred eighty-five scientists from that region are members. The Far East Branch includes centers in Vladivostok, Blagoveschensk, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and Magadan. Seventy-one Academy members serve across these Far Eastern locations. Four territorial branches now connect fifteen regional scientific centers. The academy headquarters sits at the Presidium building constructed between 1967 and 1990. Thirteen specialized scientific divisions organize current research efforts.
Three types of membership exist within the Russian Academy of Sciences. Full members hold the title of academician while corresponding members form a second tier. Foreign members make up the third category. Academicians and corresponding members must be citizens of Russia when elected. Some members were elected before the USSR collapse and now hold other citizenships. Elections to membership occur based on scientific contributions alone. Five hundred full and seven hundred corresponding members existed between 2005 and 2012. By the 2nd of January 2026, nineteen hundred sixty living Russian members remained. Eight hundred forty-one held full status while eleven hundred nineteen served as corresponding members. About four hundred forty-five foreign members also participate. Since 2015, the academy awards an honorary RAS Professor rank competitively. Seven hundred ninety-seven scientists currently hold this professorship. These professors become candidates for full membership in subsequent years. Some became members already in 2016, 2019, 2022 or 2025. The last elections organized took place from May 26 to 30, 2025.
Ivan Petrovich Pavlov received the medicine prize in 1904 for his work on digestion. Ilya Mechnikov won the same award in 1908 for immunology research. Ivan Bunin claimed literature honors in 1933. Nikolay Semyonov earned chemistry recognition in 1956. Igor Tamm, Ilya Frank and Pavel Cherenkov shared physics prizes in 1958. Lev Landau received the physics medal in 1962 for condensed matter theory. Nikolay Basov and Aleksandr Prokhorov won together in 1964 for quantum electronics. Mikhail Sholokhov took literature honors in 1965. Solzhenitsyn claimed literature in 1970 while Kantorovich won economics in 1975. Andrei Sakharov received peace awards in 1975 for human rights activism. Pyotr Kapitsa earned physics honors in 1978. Zhores Alferov won physics in 2000. Alexei Abrikosov and Vitaly Ginzburg shared physics in 2003. Andre Geim became a Nobel laureate in 2010 for graphene research.
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Common questions
When was the Russian Academy of Sciences established by Peter the Great?
Peter the Great signed a Senate decree on the 8th of February 1724 to establish the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences. The academy opened its doors in December 1725 under Empress Catherine I.
What major changes occurred to the Russian Academy of Sciences after the Soviet Union collapsed?
A presidential decree on the 2nd of December 1991 restored the Russian Academy of Sciences name. State support for science dropped drastically during the crisis of the 1990s and many scientists left Russia for Europe, Israel or the United States.
How many territorial branches does the Russian Academy of Sciences have today?
Four territorial branches now connect fifteen regional scientific centers. These include the Siberian Branch established in 1957, the Ural Branch started in 1932, the Far East Branch, and the St. Petersburg Branch which opened in 2023.
Who are the members of the Russian Academy of Sciences and how are they elected?
Three types of membership exist within the Russian Academy of Sciences including full members known as academicians, corresponding members, and foreign members. Elections to membership occur based on scientific contributions alone and require citizens of Russia when elected except for some who were elected before the USSR collapse.
Which Russian scientists won Nobel Prizes according to the Russian Academy of Sciences history?
Ivan Petrovich Pavlov received the medicine prize in 1904 for his work on digestion while Andre Geim became a Nobel laureate in 2010 for graphene research. Other winners include Ilya Mechnikov in 1908, Nikolay Semyonov in 1956, and Pyotr Kapitsa in 1978.