On Aug. 18, Moscow City Court ordered the closure of the Sakharov Center.

Andrei Sakharov’s name carries the same significance in Russia as the name Martin Luther King Jr. carries in the United States. In the 1950s and 1960s, Sakharov led the development of Russian nuclear weapons, then became concerned about the hawkish attitude of his military superiors. He began speaking about the dangers of nuclear war. He openly confronted Soviet authorities about the suppression of freedoms.