The Azat Miftakhov Committee is saddened to report the death, on February 14, 2024, from a sudden medical event, of the renowned Russian mathematician Anatoly Moiseevich Vershik. Anatoly Vershik made major contributions to many areas of mathematics, including ergodic theory, dynamical systems, Lie groups, group theory, functional analysis, and others. His work on the study of random walks and Poisson boundaries has been particularly influential.
Vershik was also a prominent human rights, pro-democracy and anti-war activist in Russian academia. He actively supported Azat Miftakhov from the time of Azat’s initial arrest in February 2019 and through Azat’s subsequent imprisonment. Vershik was a panelist for the Azat Miftakhov Day on June 16, 2021, organized by our committee.
Vershik was also a forceful voice against Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine. All these activities put him increasingly at risk in today’s Russia.
Anatoly Vershik’s death is a great loss for Russian mathematics and for the international mathematical community.
The case of Azat Miftakhov 