More than twenty years have passed since the end of the twentieth century, yet it is still difficult to assess all the losses our people suffered in this bloody century, when many were killed or forced to leave their homeland. Among those who faced repression and went into exile was Alexander Bolonkin, an outstanding Russian scientist and researcher who worked in the USA.

Alexander Alexandrovich was born on March 14, 1933, into a simple family that lost its breadwinner early and lived in poverty. Thanks to his talent, he received a good education and became interested in model aircraft. Bolonkin participated in the creation of the AN-8 and AN-124 airplanes, but even a successful career and a doctorate did not prevent him from criticizing the situation in the USSR. He sought communication with dissidents and was acquainted with notable figures of that time, such as Yuri Yukhnovets and Alexander Solzhenitsyn. For disseminating the works of the latter, he was first arrested by the KGB.

The trial of Bolonkin and other detainees lasted a year, resulting in a sentence of 4 years in prison and 2 years of exile. However, he spent more than 10 years in custody, during which he was arrested two more times before the end of his previous term, subjected to torture and moral pressure. After his third term, he realized that he would not be able to live peacefully in the USSR and began to seek permission to leave the country, which he only achieved in 1988. Three years before the collapse of the USSR, the scientist found himself in the USA, where he could finally breathe freely.

In the last 30 years of his life, Bolonkin achieved much in his professional field: he was a senior researcher at NASA and taught at various educational institutions, became the author of 17 inventions and over a hundred scientific works. He was honored three times by the National Academy of Sciences of the USA and received many other awards. Bolonkin also founded and headed an international organization for the victims of communism and former political prisoners. Alexander Alexandrovich passed away on December 20, 2020.