Saturday, 13 June 2009
President Dmitry Medvedev marked Russia Day on Friday by bestowing Russian Federation State Awards on 12 people for their achievements in science and the arts.
In a lavish Kremlin ceremony, the star of the show was Valentina Tereshkova, who became the first woman in space in 1963, but there were also medals for Yevgeny Kaspersky of the eponymous anti-virus software, and the three creators of the Smeshariki children's animated series.
Tereshkova dedicated her award to the people who worked to put her in space, and employees of public organizations.
"This work may not seem appreciated, but I am glad that worldwide, in every country, we have a lot of friends who are interested in [Russia's] science and culture," she said.
Kaspersky expressed the hope that his award would be a signal to all the other computer companies that there would be recognition for their hard work.
He said Russia had talented engineers, whose efforts were necessary for the country's success in the world, but called for more to be done to preserve and improve the national education system.
"It is possible that this will be 10 to 15 years of hard work, but for Russian companies to be competitive in markets in the West and east, there is no other way," the founder of Kaspersky Lab said.
Speaking for the three people recognized for Smeshariki, an animated children's series that has won plaudits at home and abroad, Anatoly Prokhorov also touched on Kaspersky's theme.
He said adults know little about the life of children, but society should take more care to invest in this "colossal resource."
"Childhood must become one of the priority directions for investment," Prokhorov said.
Salavat Shaikhinurov and Ilya Popov also received awards for the children's hit, which has been sold to foreign broadcasters, including in the United States.
Medvedev also presented State Awards for science to three astrophysicists, Dmitry Varshalovich, Alexei Fridman and Anatoly Cherepashchuk, and biologist Iosif Atabekov, and awards for literature and the arts to regional orchestra heads Alexander Kolotursky and Dmitry Liss, as well as museum director Maria Flit.
