In Memoriam: Alexey V. Solovyov

A long-time friend of this magazine, Professor Alexey V. Solovyov, passed away last month, after a brief illness. To honor our dear, departed friend, we present this memorial to him.

On July 5, 2025, one of the leading experts on the philosophy of war, a leading specialist in contemporary French polemology, candidate of philosophical sciences, associate professor of the Department of Philosophy of Politics and Law of the Faculty of Philosophy, Lomonosov, Moscow, Alexey Vasilyevich Solovyov, passed away.

Alexey Vasilyevich was born in Moscow on May 14, 1951.

He graduated from the Military Institute of Foreign Languages as a translator-interpreter in French and Romanian. He served as a military translator in the Armed Forces for 39 years and held the military rank of colonel. He served in Algeria for several years.

He also graduated (as a second higher education) from the philosophy department of the Faculty of Philosophy at Moscow State University in 1986. In 1995, he defended his thesis for the degree of Candidate of Philosophical Sciences on the topic, “The French School of Polemology (socio-philosophical analysis).”

For many years, he worked at the Faculty of Philosophy, first at the Department of Theoretical Political Science, and since 2008 at the Department of Philosophy of Politics and Law. He held the academic title of associate professor since 1999.

As a scientific supervisor, he prepared eight candidates of science. Under his supervision, 14 specialist, bachelor's and master's theses were defended.

He published more than 150 scientific and educational works. He wrote chapters for collective monographs, including, Society. State Strategy. War. Political and Strategic Lessons of World War I, Russia as a Civilization-State: Higher Goals and Alternatives, Paradoxes of Democracy (published in France, in French), and Hybrid Wars in a Chaotic World. He also published professional translations of books by contemporary French philosophers, in particular Michel Guérin and Georges Bataille.

He gave a number of lectures in general courses at the department, such as political science and philosophy of politics and law. He also taught special courses on contemporary French political philosophy in Russian and French.

The funeral service for Professor Solovyov was held at the beautiful Church of the Resurrection of the Word in the historical Danilovskaya Sloboda area of Moscow.

With the spirits of the righteous made perfect,
give rest to the soul of Thy servant, O Savior,
and preserve it in that life of blessedness which is with Thee,
O Thou Who lovest mankind.

Пусть земля будет пухом
(May the earth be soft for him)

Вечная память
(May his memory be eternal)