Dr. Dmitry B. Zimin, a Russian Jewish scientist and philanthropist, died in Switzerland on December 22 at the age of 88 after battling cancer.
Recognized as a visionary, he has, through his philanthropic activities, devoted his life and fortune to supporting science and education as essential pillars of societal progress.
He was one of the main designers of Moscow’s ballistic missile defense radar system and founded VimpelCom, the first Russian company to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 1996 and which has grown into one of the largest mobile operators in the world.
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In order to support science and research, he created the Dynasty Foundation, then the Zimin Foundation and the Zimin Institutes, located in various world universities, including Tel Aviv University since 2017.
Dmitry Zimin received an honorary doctorate from Tel Aviv University, the State Prize of the Russian Federation for his contribution to defense radar systems and the prize of the Russian Ministry of Science and Education “for his commitment towards science ”. He is also the first and only Russian citizen to be awarded the Carnegie Medal for Philanthropy.
He created the Premya Prosvetitel literary prize (“Enlightenment Prize”), which annually rewards the best authors of popular science books in the Russian language. He also set up the Dynasty Library project, which aims to translate and publish more than 100 international popular science books.
Thanks to his philanthropy, he has helped to popularize science, to make it accessible and interesting for all citizens, with the aim of making humanity evolve through concrete innovations.
He leaves behind a son, Boris.
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