During this period, he also became increasingly vocal in his support for the victims of political oppression within the Soviet Union. In May 1968, he completed the essay “Reflections on Progress, Peaceful Coexistence, and Intellectual Freedom.” A copy of it was smuggled out of the Soviet Union and circulated around the world. Sakharov became the global symbol of the dissident intellectual—a competent individual of conscience who supported human rights and expressed grave concern over transnational issues threatening the human race.
He became a widower in 1969 and married Elena Bonner in 1972. Bonner served as his companion-in-arms during his bitter struggle with Soviet authorities in the 1970s and 1980s over human rights. Sakharov received the 1975 Nobel Prize for peace for his “fearless personal commitment in upholding the fundamental principles for peace.” However, Soviet authorities forbade him to travel to Oslo to receive this award, and Bonner accepted the prestigious award on his behalf. A major thorn in the side of the Soviet government, Sakharov soon lost of all his special privileges and then was sent into political exile in Gorky—an isolated city on the Volga River closed to all foreigners. This period of political and social isolation exacted a severe toll on him. However, his situation began to improve when Mikhail Gorbachev assumed power in 1985.
Sakharov returned to Moscow in December 1986 and resumed his role as a prominent figure in the growing wave of political unrest then sweeping the country. In April 1989, this former political exile won election as a member of the Soviet Union’s new parliament. However, a sudden heart attack on December 14, 1989, took Sakharov’s life. The nuclear physicist turned political dissident could not personally witness the political changes that led to the formation of the Russian Federation in the 1990s.
Sakharov's Role in Development of Nuclear Weapons
