Who was Shchelkin Kirill Ivanovich? Kirill Ivanovich Shchelkin-Metaksyan - “the most “unknown” of the pioneers of the Atomic Project

Shchelkin Kirill Ivanovich (Metaksyan Kirakos Ovanesovich) was born on May 17, 1911 in Tbilisi. Mother - Vera Alekseevna Shchelkina, teacher. Father - Ivan Efimovich Shchelkin (Oganes Epremovich Metaksyan), land surveyor.

In 1924-1928 he studied in Karasubazar, where there is a memorial in his honor. In 1932 he graduated from the Faculty of Physics and Technology of the Crimean State Pedagogical Institute. He defended his dissertation (topic - gas dynamics of combustion) for the degree of Candidate of Technical Sciences in 1938, his doctorate in 1945 (opponents were future academicians - the founder of the theory of air-jet engines B. S. Stechkin, the outstanding theoretical physicist L. D. Landau and the largest aerodynamicist S. A. Khristianovich), became a professor of physical and mathematical sciences in 1947.

It was Shchelkin who signed for the “receipt” of the first Soviet atomic explosive device RDS-1 from the assembly shop. Then they made fun of him: where did you put the bomb you signed for? The landfill documents still state that K.I. Shchelkin is responsible for the “product” (followed by the number and code). It was he who, on August 29, 1949, at the Semipalatinsk test site, placed the initiating charge into the plutonium sphere of the first Soviet atomic explosive device RDS-1 (This name comes from a government decree where the atomic bomb was encrypted as a “special jet engine,” abbreviated RDS. The designation RDS- 1 came into widespread use after the testing of the first atomic bomb and was deciphered in different ways: “Stalin’s jet engine”, “Russia makes it itself”, etc.; the “American version” of the design was used). It was he who came out last and sealed the entrance to the tower with RDS-1. It was he who pressed the “Start” button.

This was followed by RDS-2 and RDS-3. Based on the results of testing the first Soviet nuclear device, a group of scientists, designers and technologists were awarded the titles of Hero of Socialist Labor (I.V. Kurchatov, V.I. Alferov, N.L. Dukhov, Ya.B. Zeldovich, P.M. Zernov, Yu. B. Khariton, G. N. Flerov, K. I. Shchelkin) and a laureate of the Stalin Prize of the first degree, plus dachas and cars for each, as well as the right to educate children at the expense of the state in any educational institutions of the USSR. Nuclear veterans joked (the joke is quite in the style of life) that when submitting for awards, they proceeded from a simple principle: those who, in case of failure, were destined to be shot, were awarded the title of Hero if successful; those doomed in case of failure to maximum imprisonment in case of a successful outcome are given the Order of Lenin, and so on downwards.

In total, in October 1949, 176 scientists and engineers were awarded Stalin Prizes, and in December 1951, after the second successful test on September 24, 1951 (of a uranium charge), another 390 participants in the atomic project were awarded. In 1954, K. I. Shchelkin received the Hero for the third time together with I. V. Kurchatov, Ya. B. Zeldovich, Yu. B. Khariton, B. L. Vannikov and N. L. Dukhov for the creation of a series of Soviet atomic charges.

In 1960, Shchelkin moved to Moscow, worked as a professor, head of the combustion department at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, and gave lectures to students and popular lectures to a wide audience. His popular essays “Physics of the Microworld” went through several editions and received first prize at the All-Union competition of popular science books.

The son, Felix, is also a nuclear physicist and was involved in the development of nuclear weapons.

Daughter - Anna, biophysicist.

It should be noted that the scientist’s relatives do not recognize the version of his Armenian origin. In the metric book of the archival fund of the Spiritual Consistory of the Assumption Church in the city of Krasny, Smolensk province, record No. 9 was discovered about the birth on February 24 and the baptism on February 26, 1881 of the baby Ivan (the future father of the nuclear physicist). Ivan’s father is listed there as a tradesman of the city of Krasny, Evfimy Fedorovich Shchelkin, and his mother is Anastasia Trofimovna.

Awards

Three times Hero of Socialist Labor (1949, 1951, 1954).

Laureate of the Lenin Prize (1958) and the Stalin Prize (1949, 1951, 1954).

He was awarded four Orders of Lenin, the Order of the Red Banner of Labor and the Red Star, as well as medals.

Based on site materials

17 May 1911 - 08 November 1968

first scientific director and chief designer of the Chelyabinsk-70 nuclear center

Corresponding Member of the USSR Academy of Sciences (since October 23, 1953, Department of Physical and Mathematical Sciences). A specialist in the field of combustion and detonation and the role of turbulence in these processes (it was he who formulated the theory of spin detonation), the term “turbulent flame zone according to Shchelkin” is known in the scientific literature.

Biography

It was Shchelkin who signed for the “receipt” of the first Soviet atomic explosive device RDS-1 from the assembly shop. Then they made fun of him: where did you put the bomb you signed for? The landfill documents still state that K.I. Shchelkin is responsible for the “product” (followed by the number and code). It was he who, on August 29, 1949, at the Semipalatinsk test site, placed an initiating charge into the plutonium sphere of the first Soviet atomic explosive device RDS-1 (“Jet Engine of Stalin”, also known as “Russia Makes Itself”; the “American version” of the design was used). It was he who came out last and sealed the entrance to the tower with RDS-1. It was he who pressed the "Start" button.

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Biography

In 1924-1928. studied in Karasubazar. In 1928, Kirill Shchelkin entered the physics and technology department of the Crimean Pedagogical Institute, where he successfully completed his studies in 1932.

Kirill Ivanovich's scientific career began in Leningrad, at the newly organized Institute of Chemical Physics of the USSR Academy of Sciences, where he was invited immediately after graduating from the institute.

The young researcher quickly identified one of the mysterious problems of that time in the combustion of gases - spin detonation. Already in May 1934, he submitted an article to the Journal of Experimental and Theoretical Physics, “An Attempt to Calculate the Detonation Spin Frequency,” which attracted the attention of combustion specialists.

The works of this period formed the basis of his Ph.D. thesis, which Shchelkin successfully defended on December 19, 1938 at the age of 27.

Kirill Ivanovich planned to carry out extensive research on the combustion and detonation of gas mixtures and present them in the form of a doctoral dissertation by 1943, but the war prevented the implementation of these plans. In the very first days of the war, he signed up as a volunteer and went to the front. Shchelkin took part in fierce battles on the outskirts of Moscow, in the decisive battle for Moscow. In January 1942, by order of Deputy People's Commissar of Defense E.A. Shchadenko, he was recalled from the active army to continue scientific work at the Institute of Chemical Physics, which was evacuated to Kazan.

During this period of scientific activity, Kirill Ivanovich focused on the processes occurring in the combustion chamber. From the experience of previous research, he understood the important role of turbulent processes in increasing the intensity and efficiency of combustion. The introduction of these ideas significantly contributed to the development of domestic jet technology. In parallel with applied research, Kirill Ivanovich continued his scientific work, and on November 12, 1946, he successfully defended his doctoral dissertation on the topic “Fast combustion and spin detonation.” Based on the materials of his dissertation, in 1949 he published a monograph under the same title.

Soon after defending his doctoral dissertation, Kirill Ivanovich was invited to the Presidium of the USSR Academy of Sciences, where its president I. Vavilov offered him the position of deputy director of the Institute of Physical Problems, but he refused this flattering offer, citing his desire to engage in science. However, this invitation turned out to be a turning point for K.I. Shchelkin: the former People’s Commissar of Ammunition, member of the Special Committee under the Council of Ministers of the USSR B.L. Vannikov, who was involved in organizing and speeding up work “on the use of intra-atomic energy”, including “ development and production of the atomic bomb." Two months after this meeting, Kirill Ivanovich was appointed to the newly created nuclear center.

Already in April 1947, K.I. Shchelkin took part in a meeting of the Special Committee, at which, among other things, the creation of a test site - the "Mountain Station" - was discussed.

A brilliant result of the efforts of not only the first Soviet nuclear weapons center, but also the entire young nuclear industry was the successful test of the first Soviet atomic bomb on August 29, 1949. This explosion ended the United States' nuclear monopoly. The work of scientists and engineers was highly appreciated by the government. Shchelkin was also on the list of those awarded the highest awards. Continuing the work he started with his characteristic dedication, he also made a significant contribution to the development and testing of the next nuclear charge, entirely based on domestic ideas. For this work in 1951 he received the second star of the Hero of Socialist Labor.

The intensity of work in KB-11 and in the nuclear industry as a whole was increasing: on August 12, 1953, the first thermonuclear bomb was tested in the Soviet Union (namely a bomb, that is, a charge ready for combat use, and not a thermonuclear “laboratory”), and on November 22 1955 - the first Soviet superbomb - a cascade thermonuclear charge. American hopes of increasing the nuclear lead turned out to be unfounded. For his contribution to the development and testing of the first thermonuclear charge in December 1953, Kirill Ivanovich Shchelkin was awarded the third star of the Hero of Socialist Labor.

During his time at KB-11, Kirill Ivanovich’s talent as a scientist and organizer fully manifested itself. He was distinguished by his depth of understanding of problems, clarity of goal setting, ability to work with people, large-scale thinking, and focus on the future. While still in Leningrad, he developed friendly relations with the scientific director of the Soviet nuclear project, I.V. Kurchatov. Igor Vasilyevich highly appreciated Shchelkin’s energy, knowledge, experience and business qualities. Kirill Ivanovich's authority was high among industry leaders and in scientific circles. Therefore, when the task of creating a second nuclear weapons center arose, K. I. Shchelkin was recommended for the position of its scientific director and chief designer.

The results were already evident in 1957, when the first thermonuclear charges developed by the new center were tested. These tests convincingly demonstrated the viability and potential of the newly created institute. By the way, the first thermonuclear charge adopted by the Soviet Army was developed and tested precisely by the Ural Nuclear Center in that first test session for it. For these successes, a group of specialists from the center, together with Kirill Ivanovich, were awarded the Lenin Prize.

Such hard work could not pass without leaving a mark on his health. The body, trained in young years, began to malfunction. The illnesses followed one after another, becoming more protracted and debilitating. In 1960, K.I. Shchelkin was forced to retire for health reasons.

Even during the most difficult years of work at KB-11 and NII-1011, Kirill Ivanovich found time for scientific research on combustion, which he continued with his colleagues at the Institute of Chemical Physics. His works, personal and co-authored, regularly appeared in scientific journals. After retiring, he did not stop, but, on the contrary, expanded his scientific research and range of scientific interests. The frequency of his publications has increased. Shchelkin's works received worldwide recognition, they were read and quoted. In 1963, the monograph “Gas Dynamics of Combustion” was published, which he prepared together with Y. K. Troshin. At the same time, he continued to work on a book on the physics of the atom, nucleus and subnuclear particles, “Physics of the Microworld.”

Kirill Ivanovich paid great attention to the popularization of science, publishing articles in many magazines and giving lectures. He took care of the scientific shift, organized the Department of Combustion at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, and himself lectured there. Paying tribute to his comrades in the atomic epic, K. I. Shchelkin in the mid-60s wrote an introductory article and edited the collection “Soviet Atomic Science and Technology,” dedicated to the 50th anniversary of Soviet power. He emphasizes that one of the main components of the success of the domestic Atomic Project lies in the collective feat of all its participants.

Activities

Combustion and explosion specialist

Essays

Proceedings on combustion and detonation as applied to a nuclear explosion. Proposed the theory of spin detonation. The term “turbulent flame zone according to Shchelkin” is known in the scientific literature.

Dissertation (topic - gas dynamics of combustion) for the degree of Candidate of Technical Sciences (defended in 1939)
Doctoral dissertation on the topic "Fast combustion and spin detonation"
Gas dynamics of combustion, M., 1963 (together with Ya. K. Troshin)
His popular essays “Physics of the Microworld” went through several editions and received first prize at the All-Union competition of popular science books.

Achievements

Doctor of Technical Sciences (1949)
Corresponding Member of the USSR Academy of Sciences (1953)
Professor (Moscow Engineering Physics Institute)

Awards

Hero of Socialist Labor (1949, 1951, 1954)
Order of Lenin (4)
Order of the Red Banner of Labor
Order of the Red Star
Lenin Prize laureate (1958)
Laureate of the USSR State Prize (1949, 1951, 1954)

Images

Monuments

Miscellaneous

His scientific ideas are still used today, in particular, in describing new classes of phenomena, such as thermonuclear combustion in modern systems or in the atmospheres of neutron stars during the development of X-ray flares.
The city of Shchelkino in the Leninsky district of Crimea, founded in October 1978 as a settlement for construction workers of the Crimean Nuclear Power Plant, is named in honor of Shchelkin.
Bronze bust of three times Hero of Socialist Labor K.I. Shchelkin was installed and inaugurated in his homeland - Tbilisi (Georgia) in 1982. Currently dismantled by the new Georgian authorities.
Publication “Shchelkin Kirill Ivanovich (Metaksyan Kirakos Ovanesovich) from the book by Arutyunyan K.A., Pogosyan G.R. “The contribution of the Armenian people to the victory in the Great Patriotic War”, part of the photo was sent

Alma mater: Scientific adviser: Notable students:

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Known as:

first scientific director of the nuclear center Chelyabinsk-70

Known as:

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Awards and prizes: Website:

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It was Shchelkin who signed “for receipt” of the first Soviet atomic explosive device RDS-1 from the assembly shop. Then they made fun of him: where did you put the bomb you signed for? The landfill documents still state that K.I. Shchelkin is responsible for the “product” (followed by the number and code). It was he who, on August 29, 1949, at the Semipalatinsk test site, placed the initiating charge into the plutonium sphere of the first Soviet atomic explosive device RDS-1 (This name comes from a government decree where the atomic bomb was encrypted as a “special jet engine,” abbreviated RDS. The designation RDS- 1 came into widespread use after the testing of the first atomic bomb and was deciphered in different ways: “Stalin’s jet engine”, “Russia makes it itself”, etc.; the “American version” of the design was used). It was he who came out last and sealed the entrance to the tower with RDS-1. It was he who pressed the “Start” button.

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Monument to K. I. Shchelkin in Snezhinsk

This was followed by RDS-2 and RDS-3. Based on the results of testing the first Soviet nuclear device, a group of scientists, designers and technologists were awarded the titles of Hero of Socialist Labor (I.V. Kurchatov, V.I. Alferov, N.L. Dukhov, Ya.B. Zeldovich, P.M. Zernov, Yu. B. Khariton, G. N. Flerov, K. I. Shchelkin) and a laureate of the Stalin Prize of the first degree, plus dachas and cars for each, as well as the right to educate children at the expense of the state in any educational institutions of the USSR. Nuclear veterans joked (the joke is quite in the style of life) that when submitting for awards, they proceeded from a simple principle: those who, in case of failure, were destined to be shot, were awarded the title of Hero if successful; those doomed in case of failure to maximum imprisonment, in case of a successful outcome, be given the Order of Lenin, and so on downwards.

In total, 176 scientists and engineers were awarded Stalin Prizes in October, and in December, after the second successful test on September 24 (of a uranium charge), another 390 participants in the atomic project were awarded. In K.I. Shchelkin received the Hero for the third time together with I.V. Kurchatov, Yu.B. Khariton, B.L. Vannikov and N.L. Dukhov for the creation of a series of Soviet atomic charges.

In 1960, Shchelkin moved to Moscow, worked as a professor, head of the combustion department, gave lectures to students and popular lectures to a wide audience. His popular essays “Physics of the Microworld” went through several editions and received first prize at the All-Union competition of popular science books.

Family

The son, Felix, is also a nuclear physicist and was involved in the development of nuclear weapons.
Daughter - Anna, biophysicist.

Awards

Three times Hero of Socialist Labor (, ,).
Laureate of the Lenin Prize () and Stalin Prize (, ,).
He was awarded four Orders of Lenin, the Order of the Red Banner of Labor and the Red Star, as well as medals.

Memory

The city of Shchelkino in the Leninsky district of Crimea, founded in October as a settlement for builders of the Crimean Nuclear Power Plant and an avenue in the city of Snezhinsk, is named in honor of Shchelkin. In Snezhinsk, two memorial plaques were also installed at the addresses: Shchelkina Ave., 17/42 and st. Lenina, 12.
On May 24, 2011, the first monument in Russia to K. I. Shchelkin, sculptor K. A. Gilev, was unveiled in Snezhinsk.
In 2011, a Russian postage stamp dedicated to Shchelkin was issued.
City school No. 1 of Belogorsk (Karasubazar) in Crimea is named after K. I. Shchelkin.

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Notes

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Literature

Shchelkin F.K. Apostles of the Atomic Age. Memories, reflections. - DeLi print. - 2003. - P. 162.
Simonenko V.(Russian) // Atomic Energy Bulletin. RFNC-VNIITF named after. acad. E. I. Zababakhina. - April, 2005.
Gubarev V.(Russian) // Science and life: magazine. - 2002. - No. 5.
Gubarev V.(Russian) // Russian Federation Today: magazine. - 2007. - No. 12.
Astashenkov P.(1974, 1978). Flame and explosion.
Astashenkov P. Jet flame scout // Aviation and Cosmonautics. - M.: Military Publishing House, 1971. - No. 5. - pp. 34-36.
Khramov Yu. A. Shchelkin Kirill Ivanovich // Physicists: Biographical Directory / Ed. A. I. Akhiezer. - Ed. 2nd, rev. and additional - M.: Nauka, 1983. - P. 306. - 400 p. - 200,000 copies.(in translation)

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Excerpt characterizing Shchelkin, Kirill Ivanovich

Is it because I was known as the famous Vidunya, and he considered me his worst enemy?.. After all, for him it didn’t matter what they called me, for the “Grand Inquisitor” I was simply a witch, and he burned witches at the stake.. .
I loved Life deeply and selflessly! And I, like every normal person, really wanted it to last as long as possible. After all, even the most notorious scoundrel, who may have taken the lives of others, cherishes every minute he lives, every day he lives, his life, precious to him!.. But it was at that moment that I suddenly understood very clearly that it was he, Caraffa, who will take her, my short and so valuable to me, unlived life...
– A great spirit is born in a small body, Madonna Isidora. Even Saint Jesus was once a child. I will be very glad to visit you! – and bowing gracefully, Caraffa left.
The world was collapsing... It crumbled into small pieces, each of which reflected a predatory, subtle, intelligent face...
I tried to somehow calm down and not panic, but for some reason it didn’t work. This time my usual confidence in myself and my abilities failed me, and this made it even worse. The day was as sunny and bright as just a few minutes ago, but darkness settled in my soul. As it turned out, I had been waiting for this man to appear for a long time. And all my nightmare visions about bonfires were only a harbinger... for today's meeting with him.
Returning home, I immediately persuaded my husband to pick up little Anna and take her somewhere far away, where Caraffa’s evil tentacles could not reach her. And she herself began to prepare for the worst, because she knew for sure that his arrival would not take long. And I was not mistaken...
A few days later, my favorite black maid Kay (at that time it was very fashionable to have black servants in rich houses) reported that “His Eminence, the Cardinal, is waiting for me in the pink drawing room.” And I felt that something would happen right now...
I was wearing a light yellow silk dress and knew that this color suited me very well. But if there was one person in the world in front of whom I did not want to look attractive, it was certainly Caraffa. But there was no time left to change clothes, and I had to go out that way.
He waited, calmly leaning on the back of his chair, studying some old manuscript, of which there were a countless number in our house. I put on a pleasant smile and went down to the living room. Seeing me, for some reason Karaffa froze, without uttering a word. The silence dragged on, and it seemed to me that the cardinal was about to hear my frightened heart beating loudly and treacherously... But finally, his enthusiastic, hoarse voice was heard:
– You are amazing, Madonna Isidora! Even this sunny morning is playing next to you!
– I never thought that cardinals were allowed to compliment ladies! – with the greatest effort, continuing to smile, I squeezed out.
- Cardinals are people too, Madonna, and they know how to distinguish beauty from simplicity... And where is your wonderful daughter? Will I be able to enjoy double beauty today?
– She is not in Venice, Your Eminence. She and her father went to Florence to visit her sick cousin.
– As far as I know, there are no patients in your family at the moment. Who fell ill so suddenly, Madonna Isidora? – there was an undisguised threat in his voice...
Caraffa began to play openly. And I had no choice but to face the danger face to face...
– What do you want from me, Your Eminence? Wouldn't it be easier to say it directly, saving us both from this unnecessary, cheap game? We are smart enough people that, even with differences in views, we can respect each other.
My legs were giving way from horror, but for some reason Caraffa didn’t notice this. He glared at my face with a flaming gaze, not answering and not noticing anything around. I couldn’t understand what was happening, and this whole dangerous comedy frightened me more and more... But then something completely unexpected happened, something completely outside the usual framework... Caraffa came very close to me, that’s all also, without taking his burning eyes off, and almost without breathing, he whispered:
– You cannot be from God... You are too beautiful! You are a witch!!! A woman has no right to be so beautiful! You are from the Devil!..
And turning around, he rushed out of the house without looking back, as if Satan himself was chasing him... I stood in complete shock, still expecting to hear his steps, but nothing happened. Gradually coming to my senses, and finally managing to relax my stiff body, I took a deep breath and... lost consciousness. I woke up on the bed, drinking hot wine from the hands of my dear maid Kei. But immediately, remembering what had happened, she jumped to her feet and began to rush around the room, not having any idea what to do... Time passed, and she had to do something, come up with something in order to somehow protect herself and your family from this two-legged monster. I knew for sure that now all the games were over, that the war had begun. But our forces, to my great regret, were very, very unequal... Naturally, I could defeat him in my own way... I could even simply stop his bloodthirsty heart. And all these horrors would end immediately. But the fact is that, even at thirty-six years old, I was still too pure and kind to kill... I never took a life, on the contrary, I very often gave it back. And even such a terrible person as Karaffa was, she could not yet execute...
The next morning there was a loud knock on the door. My heart has stopped. I knew - it was the Inquisition... They took me away, accusing me of “verbalism and witchcraft, stupefying honest citizens with false predictions and heresy”... That was the end.
The room they put me in was very damp and dark, but for some reason it seemed to me that I wouldn’t stay in it for long. At noon Caraffa came...
– Oh, I beg your pardon, Madonna Isidora, you were given someone else’s room. This is not for you, of course.
– What is all this game for, monsignor? – I asked, proudly (as it seemed to me), raising my head. “I would prefer simply the truth, and I would like to know what I am really accused of.” My family, as you know, is very respected and loved in Venice, and it would be better for you if the accusations were based on truth.
Caraffa would never know how much effort it took me to look proud!.. I understood perfectly well that hardly anyone or anything could help me. But I couldn't let him see my fear. And so she continued, trying to bring him out of that calmly ironic state, which apparently was his kind of defense. And which I absolutely couldn’t stand.
– Will you deign to tell me what my fault is, or will you leave this pleasure to your faithful “vassals”?!
“I do not advise you to boil, Madonna Isidora,” Caraffa said calmly. – As far as I know, all of your beloved Venice knows that you are a Witch. And besides, the strongest who once lived. Yes, you didn’t hide this, did you?
Suddenly I completely calmed down. Yes, it was true - I never hid my abilities... I was proud of them, like my mother. So now, in front of this crazy fanatic, will I betray my soul and renounce who I am?!
– You are right, Your Eminence, I am a Witch. But I am not from the Devil, nor from God. I am free in my soul, I KNOW... And you can never take this away from me. You can only kill me. But even then I will remain who I am... Only in that case, you will never see me again...
I blindly threw a weak blow... There was no confidence that it would work. But Caraffa suddenly turned pale, and I realized that I was right. No matter how much this unpredictable man hated the female half, he had a strange and dangerous feeling for me, which I could not yet accurately define. But the main thing is that it was there! And that was the only thing that mattered so far. And it would be possible to figure it out later, if now Karaff managed to “catch” this simple female bait... But I didn’t know then how strong the will of this unusual person was... The confusion disappeared as quickly as it came. The cold and calm cardinal stood before me again.
“It would be a huge loss for everyone who appreciates beauty, Madonna.” But too much beauty can be dangerous, as it destroys pure souls. And yours will definitely not leave anyone indifferent, so it will be better if it simply ceases to exist...
Caraffa left. And my hair stood on end - so strong did he strike fear into my tired, lonely soul... I was alone. All my loved ones and relatives were somewhere on the other side of these stone walls, and I was by no means sure that I would ever see them again... My beloved little Anna was huddled in Florence with the Medici, and I really hoped that Caraffa did not know where or who had it. My husband, who adored me, was with her at my request and did not know that I had been captured. I had no hope. I was truly all alone.
From that ill-fated day, endless trials began against the famous “Witch of Venice,” that is, over me... But Venice was a truly free city and did not allow its children to be destroyed so easily. The Inquisition was hated by everyone, and Caraffa had to reckon with this. Therefore, I was tried by the “supreme tribunal of the Inquisition,” which accused me of all possible vices, most of which I had never even heard of. The only bright thing that happened during all this terrible time was the unexpected and very strong support of friends, which forced Karaffa to be much more careful in his accusations, but this did not help me escape from his dangerous clutches.
Time passed, and I knew that a dangerous moment was coming when Caraffa would launch an attack. So far it was just a “not very beautiful performance” that had been going on for more than a year, almost day after day. And this, according to their concepts, apparently was supposed to somehow calm me down or even give me some tiny false hope that all this would someday end, and that I might even “go home happily”... For some reason, I “put to sleep”, apparently wanting to hit even harder. But Caraffa was wrong. I knew he was just biding his time. I just didn’t know what yet.

Kirill Ivanovich Shchelkin(May 4, 1911, Tiflis, - November 8, 1968, Moscow) - first scientific director and chief designer of the Chelyabinsk-70 nuclear center (Snezhinsk, since 1992 RFNC-VNIITF - Russian Federal Nuclear Center - All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Technical Physics), three times Hero of Socialist Labor.

Biography

Shchelkin Kirill Ivanovich was born on May 17, 1911 in Tbilisi. Russian. Father - land surveyor Ivan Efimovich Shchelkin, a native of the Smolensk province of the city of Krasny. Mother - Vera Alekseevna Shchelkina (maiden name Zhikulina), a native of the Kursk province, a teacher. There was a version about the Armenian origin of the scientist, since he had several Armenian friends in Crimea and he understood the Armenian language. This was due to the work of Ivan Efimovich in Tbilisi among the Armenians. At the request of the Rossiyskaya Gazeta, supported by the Department of Information Policy of the Smolensk Regional Administration, employees of the State Archives of the Smolensk Region (GASO) conducted an operational search and found evidence that Kirill Shchelkin’s paternal roots, as he himself claimed in all his autobiographical documents, go to the serfs of the Krasninsky district of the Smolensk province. GASO director Nina Emelyanova reported that the “needle in a haystack” we were looking for was found in the funds of the Spiritual Consistory, where metric books are kept. It was in such a book of the Assumption Church in the city of Krasny, Smolensk province for 1881 that entry No. 9 was discovered about the birth on February 24 and the baptism on February 26 of the baby Ivan. His father is a Krasny townsman Efim Fedorovich Shchelkin, his mother is Anastasia Trofimovna. Which confirms Russian ethnic roots. And he refutes the arguments about the Armenian origin of the scientist.

In total, in October 1949, 176 scientists and engineers were awarded Stalin Prizes, and in December 1951, after the second successful test on September 24, 1951 (of a uranium charge), another 390 participants in the atomic project were awarded. In 1954, K. I. Shchelkin received the Hero for the third time together with I. V. Kurchatov, Yu. B. Khariton, B. L. Vannikov and N. L. Dukhov for the creation of a series of Soviet atomic charges.

Family

The son, Felix, is also a nuclear physicist and was involved in the development of nuclear weapons.
Daughter - Anna, biophysicist.

Awards

Three times Hero of Socialist Labor (1949, 1951, 1954).
Laureate of the Lenin Prize (1958) and the Stalin Prize (1949, 1951, 1954).
He was awarded four Orders of Lenin, the Order of the Red Banner of Labor and the Red Star, as well as medals.

Memory

The city of Shchelkino in the Leninsky district of Crimea, founded in October 1978 as a settlement for construction workers of the Crimean Nuclear Power Plant and an avenue in the city of Snezhinsk, is named in honor of Shchelkin. In Snezhinsk, two memorial plaques were also installed at the addresses: Shchelkina Ave., 17/42 and st. Lenina, 12.
On May 24, 2011, the first monument in Russia to K. I. Shchelkin, sculptor K. A. Gilev, was unveiled in Snezhinsk.
In 2011, a Russian postage stamp dedicated to Shchelkin was issued.
City school No. 1 of Belogorsk (Karasubazar) in Crimea is named after K. I. Shchelkin.