MOSCOW. MARCH 4, 2025. PIR PRESS. «The Vyacheslav I. Trubnikov Grant is not just financial support but an advance of trust and high expectations. The winner must embody the principles of a person whose professionalism, honesty, and dedication have become a benchmark for all of us. It is especially valuable that the competition has become annual and is open to students from all over the world; it strengthens the connection between generations and cultures that Vyacheslav Trubnikov so greatly envisioned», – Dr. Andrey Baykov, Chairman of the Vyacheslav I. Trubnikov Grant Competition Commission and Vice-Rector for Science and Research at MGIMO University.
On February 20, 2025, MGIMO University hosted the solemn ceremony announcing the winner of the Vyacheslav I. Trubnikov Grant Competition. The nominees were first-year students of the International Security Master’s Program, implemented by MGIMO University in partnership with PIR Center. This competition will take place annually, and its winner will receive a waiver of tuition fees for the second, third, and fourth semesters of the master’s program.
In 2025, the winner is Kirill Prokhorov, who received the majority of votes from the members of the Grant Commission, which includes: Dr. Andrey Baykov, Chairman of the Commission, Vice-Rector for Science and Research at MGIMO University, PIR Center Advisory Board Member; Ms. Anastasia Voytsitskaya, Deputy Chair of the Commission, Deputy Director of the Department of Work with Students and Alumni at MGIMO University; Mr. Aleksey Dundich, Director of the Department of Expertise of Master’s Programs at MGIMO University; Dr. Igor Istomin, Acting Chair at the Department of Applied International Political Analysis at MGIMO University, PIR Center Advisory Board Member; Dr. Mikhail Lysenko, Associate Professor at the International Law Department at MGIMO University, PIR Center Advisory Board Member; Dr. Vladimir Orlov, Founding Director of PIR Center, Professor at the Department of Applied International Political Analysis at MGIMO University, and Academic Director of the International Security Master’s Program; Dr. Alexander Fedorov, Associate Professor at the Department of Information Security at the Bauman Moscow State Technical University, PIR Center Executive Board Member.
During the opening of the solemn ceremony, Dr. Andrey Baykov, Chairman of the Vyacheslav I. Trubnikov Grant Competition Commission and Vice-Rector for Science and Research at MGIMO University, addressed the students noting: “The Vyacheslav I. Trubnikov Grant is not just financial support but an advance of trust and high expectations. The winner must embody the principles of a person whose professionalism, honesty, and dedication have become a benchmark for all of us. It is especially valuable that the competition has become annual and is open to students from all over the world; it strengthens the connection between generations and cultures that Vyacheslav Trubnikov so greatly envisioned.”
Dr. Vladimir Orlov, Founding Director of PIR Center, Academic Director of the International Security Master’s Program, and Professor at MGIMO University, also made a speech: “Vyacheslav Trubnikov was especially valued at PIR Center for his profound contributions and his ability to provide clear advice at the most crucial moments. His words sobered, inspired, and often became the foundation for important decisions. He didn’t just participate in our work… he worked: writing, editing, helping, while remaining for us a wise mentor.”
Then, Ms. Maria Trubnikova, Vyacheslav Trubnikov’s daughter, also addressed the students, commemorating her father and thanking PIR Center and MGIMO University for preserving the memory of Vyacheslav I. Trubnikov. “It is a great honor to be here and commemorate my father, whose life was inextricably linked with PIR Center. He believed in the power of dialogue, in the younger generation, and that knowledge is the path to peace. It’s so touching to see that his legacy lives in every project and in every smile of the students he inspired. The bas-relief on my father’s monument was based on a photograph taken during the PIR Center’s event. But it is more than just an image. It symbolizes his openness and readiness to listen and engage with young people. Thank you for preserving his ideas and continuing the work to which he dedicated so much effort,” noted Maria Trubnikova.
Mr. Aleksey Dundich, Director of the Department of Expertise of Master’s Programs at MGIMO University, and Dr. Mikhail Lysenko, Associate Professor at the International Law Department, also shared their advice with the students.
The competition winner, Kirill Prokhorov, thanked MGIMO University for holding the competition: “I would like to express my gratitude to MGIMO University and PIR Center for organizing the Vyacheslav I. Trubnikov Grant Competition, as well as to the Grant Commission and its Chairman Dr. Andrey Baykov for their meticulous work in selecting the winner. I am very glad that I was chosen as the winner; I put a lot of effort into my academic and extracurricular activities in the first semester. International security, in all its various aspects, is an area that truly interests me, and I want to pursue it further. According to the conditions of the Grant, the right to hold it must be constantly confirmed, and I will make every effort to do so. I want to thank all the professors and Commission members who contributed to my success. I also thank my parents for their support when entering MGIMO University – both morally and financially. This is an invaluable contribution at such an important stage for me,” said Kirill Prokhorov.
This grant competition is held annually; therefore, the next award will be presented in 2026 among students of the 2025 admission of the International Security Master’s Program.
As criteria for candidates for the Competition, the following main requirements were established:
Having only grades of “good” and/or “excellent” based on the results of the winter credit-examination session;
A demonstrated interest in working on issues of international security after completing the master’s program;
Active, confirmed participation in research and scientific-organizational activities.
PIR Center honors the memory of Vyacheslav Trubnikov, who remained a member of the PIR Center Executive Board – the organization’s supreme body – until the last day of his life. He also published a wide range of research papers with PIR Center. To commemorate his legacy, PIR Center has created a memorial gallery where you can explore his biography, personal publications, and recollections of his work.
In 2023, a monument to Vyacheslav Trubnikov was unveiled at MGIMO University. The opening ceremony, held in a solemn atmosphere and attended by Dr. Anatoly Torkunov, Rector of MGIMO University, marked the inauguration of the exhibition space.
Keywords: Education; Nuclear Nonproliferation; International Security
