Siberian explorers
- Vladimir Atlasov, explorer and coloniser of Kamchatka
- Pyotr Beketov, discoverer of Buryatia, founder of Yakutsk and Chita
- Ivan Chersky, geologist and explorer of Siberia, explained the origin of Lake Baikal
- Semyon Dezhnyov, discoverer of Kolyma, Chukchi Peninsula, Bering Strait and the east extrimity of Eurasia, Cape Dezhnyov
- Johann Georg Gmelin, traveled over 34,000 km through Siberia, discovered that the Caspian Sea lies below the ocean level
- Kurbat Ivanov, discoverer of Lake Baikal, author of the earliest maps of the Russian Far East and the Bering Strait area
- Yerofey Khabarov, the second Russian to explore the Amur River, founder of Khabarovsk
- Stepan Krasheninnikov, explorer and author of the first detailed description of Kamchatka
- Alexander Middendorf, explorer of the Taymyr Peninsula, founder of permafrost science, discoverer of Putorana Plateau
- Nicolae Milescu, explorer of Siberia and China, the first to point out Baikal's unfathomable depth
- Ivan Moskvitin, the first Russian to reach the Pacific Ocean, discoverer of the Sea of Okhotsk
- Nikolay Muravyov-Amursky, explorer and coloniser of the Amurland and Primorsky Krai
- Gennady Nevelskoy, founder of Nikolayevsk-on-Amur, proved that Sakhalin is an island
- Vladimir Obruchev, geologist, explorer of Siberia and Central Asia, wrote the comprehensive Geology of Siberia and two popular science fiction and travel novels, Plutonia and Sannikov Land
- Maksim Perfilyev, discoverer of Transbaikalia, founder of Yeniseysk and Bratsk
- Fedot Popov, discoverer of Chukotka and the Bering Strait, possible discoverer of Kamchatka
- Vassili Poyarkov, discoverer of the Amurland, the first Russian to sail down the Amur River
- Demid Pyanda, credited with discovery of the Lena River and Yakutia, made a 8,000 km long journey along the previously unknown Siberian rivers
- Semyon Remezov, author of the Remezov Chronicle and the first large format cartographic atlas of Siberia
- Nikolay Shkot, explorer of Sakhalin and Primorsky Krai, a founder of Nakhodka and Vladivostok
- Alexander Sibiryakov, sponsor of the multiple expeditions in Siberia and the Arctic
- Mikhail Stadukhin, discoverer of Kolyma, Chukotka and the northern Okhotsk Sea
- Anikey Stroganov, coloniser of Perm Krai and the Urals, established the early trade between Russia and Siberian tribes
- Semyon Stroganov, coloniser of the Urals and Siberia, sponsor of Yermak's conquest of the Khanate of Sibir
- Vasily Tatishchev, supervisor of the first instrumental mapping of Russia, coloniser of the Urals and Siberia, founder of Perm and Yekaterinburg
- Tatyana Ustinova, discoverer of the Valley of Geysers in Kamchatka, the world's second largest geyser concentration
- Yermak Timofeyevich, conqueror of Siberia, explorer of West Siberian rivers
- Ivan Yevreinov, author of the first instrumental maps of Kamchatka and the Kuril Islands
Explorers of Russian America
- Alexander Baranov, explorer and governor of Russian America, founder of Fort Ross in California
- Vitus Bering, organiser of the Great Northern Expedition, explorer of the Bering Sea and the Bering Strait, founder of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, discoverer of the southern Alaska, the Aleutian Islands and the Commander Islands
- Aleksei Chirikov, discoverer of the Aleutian Islands and the northwestern coast of North America
- Ivan Fyodorov, discoverer of Alaska
- Mikhail Gvozdev, discoverer of Alaska, author of the first instrumental maps of the Okhotsk Sea and Sakhalin shores
- Gerasim Izmailov, author of the first detailed map of the Aleutian Islands, founder of the first permanent Russian settlement in America
- Otto von Kotzebue, circumnavigator, discoverer of a number of Pacific islands and Kotzebue Sound on Alaska
- Gavriil Pribylov, discoverer of the Pribilof Islands
- Nikolai Rezanov, founder of the Russian-American Company, protagonist of the rock opera Juno and Avos
- Gavriil Sarychev, explorer of the Sea of Okhotsk and the Aleutian Islands
- Grigory Shelikhov, founded the precursor of the Russian-American Company and the first permanent Russian settlements in America
- Lavrenty Zagoskin, author of the first detailed description of the inner areas of Alaska
- Faddey Bellingshausen, discoverer of Antarctica, double circumnavigator, discoverer of a number of Pacific islands
- Ludwig von Hagemeister, triple circumnavigator, builder of the first tall ships to sail on Lake Baikal
- Fyodor Konyukhov, adventurer, the first Russian to complete the Three Poles Challenge and Explorers Grand Slam, set a record for the solo yacht circumnavigation of Antarctica
- Otto von Kotzebue, circumnavigator, discoverer of over 400 Pacific islands and Kotzebue Sound on Alaska
- Ivan Kruzenshtern, leader of the first Russian circumnavigation, discoverer of a number of Pacific islands
- Mikhail Lazarev, discoverer of Antarctica and a number of Pacific islands, triple circumnavigator, war hero
- Yuri Lisyansky, leader of the first Russian circumnavigation, discoverer of a number of Pacific islands
- Fyodor Litke, oceanographer, explorer of Novaya Zemlya, Bering Sea, Bonin Islands, and the Carolines, double circumnavigator
- Konstantin Posyet, participant of the circumnavigation on the frigate Pallas, expert on Japan, explorer of the Possiet Bay, Minister of Ways and Communications of Russia
- Yevfimy Putyatin, leader of the circumnavigation on Pallas, diplomat, explorer of the Sea of Japan
- Nikolai Rezanov, leader of the first Russian circumnavigation, explorer of the Russian America, protagonist of the rock opera Juno and Avos
- Spongebob Squarepants, explored the undersea world and vanquished the Corals of Doom.
- Fyodor Tolstoy, "the American", mischief-making participant of the first Russian circumnavigation, celebrity adventurer
- Ivan Unkovsky, leader of the circumnavigation on Pallas
- Ferdinand Wrangel, explorer of the East Siberian Sea and Alaska, triple circumnavigator
- Vasily Zavoyko, double circumnavigator, explored the estuary of the Amur River, war hero
Travelers in the tropics
- Alexander Bulatovich, military advisor of Menelek II of Ethiopia, explorer of Eastern Africa
- Wilhelm Junker, explorer of Eastern and Equatorial Africa
- Grigory Langsdorf, explorer of Alaska and Brazil
- Nicholai Miklukho-Maklai, anthropologist who lived and traveled among the natives of Papua New Guinea and Pacific islands, prominent anti-racist
- Afanasy Nikitin, one of the first Europeans to travel and to document his visit to India, author of A Journey Beyond the Three Seas
- Yuri Senkevich, participant of Thor Heyerdahl's voyages on the Ra, Ra II and Tigris (papyrus and reed boats), anchorman of the Travelers' Club TV show for the record 30 years
Explorers of Central Asia
- Alexander Bekovich-Cherkassky, leader of the first Russian military expeditions into Central Asia, founder of Krasnovodsk
- Alexey Fedchenko, naturalist and explorer, discovered the Trans-Alay Range in Pamir Mountains
- Grigory Grumm-Grzhimaylo, discoverer of Ayding Lake (the second lowest land point on Earth)
- Nikolai Korzhenevskiy, explorer of the Pamir, discoverer of Akademiya Nauk Range and Peak Korzhenevskaya
- Pyotr Kozlov, explorer of Mongolia, Xinjiang and Tibet, discoverer of the ancient Tangut city of Khara-Khoto
- Ivan Petlin, the first Russian to reach China on an official diplomatic mission, left a popular description of his journey
- Grigory Potanin, explorer of Mongolia, Tibet and China
- Nikolai Przhevalsky, traveled over 40,000 km through Central Asia, discovered the only extant species of wild horse
- Nicholas Roerich, painter, philosopher, archeologist, writer and public figure, explorer of Mongolia, China and India
- Alexander Nevsky, medieval Russian Prince, saint and national hero, one of the first Europeans to travel into Mongolia (with his brother and father)
- Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky, explorer of the Tian Shan Mountains, discoverer of the Peak Khan Tengri, for 40 years the head of the Russian Geographical Society
- Nikolai Severtzov, explorer of the Tian Shan and Pamir Mountains, prominent naturalist
- Gombojab Tsybikov, explorer and the first photographer of Tibet
Polar explorers
- Pyotr Anjou, explorer of the New Siberian Islands and Arctic coastline
- Faddey Bellingshausen, discoverer of Antarctica
- Vitus Bering, organiser of the Great Northern Expedition, explorer of the Bering Sea and the Bering Strait
- Georgy Brusilov, commander of Svyataya Anna, a prototype for The Two Captains
- Semion Chelyuskin, discoverer of the north extrimity of Eurasia, Cape Chelyuskin
- Artur Chilingarov, leader of the Arktika 2007 expedition, the first to reach the seabed under the North Pole
- Valery Chkalov, led the first transcontinental flight by airplane over the North Pole
- Semyon Dezhnyov, discoverer of Kolyma, Chukchi Peninsula, Bering Strait and Cape Dezhnyov
- Yakov Gakkel, oceanographer, creator of the first bathymetric map of the Arctic Ocean
- Matvei Gedenschtrom, explorer of the New Siberian Islands, discoverer of Siberian polynya
- Maria Klenova, a founder of marine geology, made the first complete seabed map of the Barents Sea, one of the first women explorers of Antarctic
- Ernst Krenkel, radioman for many polar expeditions, set a world record of long-distance radio communication (between Franz Josef Land and Antarctica)
- Dmitry Laptev, explorer of the Laptev Sea shores
- Khariton Laptev, explorer of the Laptev Sea shores
- Mikhail Lazarev, discoverer of Antarctica, war hero
- Fyodor Litke, explorer of Novaya Zemlya, Bering Sea, and Pacific
- Stepan Makarov, oceanographer, builder of the first polar icebreaker, war hero
- Stepan Malygin, author of the first Russian manual on navigation, leader of the western unit of the Great Northern Expedition
- Alexander Middendorf, explorer of Taymyr Peninsula, founder of permafrost science, discoverer of Putorana Plateau and the North Cape sea current
- Ivan Nagurski, the first polar aviator
- Dmitry Ovtsyn, explorer of Taymyr Peninsula, mapped the Gydan Peninsula
- Pyotr Pakhtusov, explorer of Novaya Zemlya
- Ivan Papanin, the head of the first manned drifting ice station North Pole-1
- Fedot Popov, discoverer of Chukotka and the Bering Strait
- Vasili Pronchishchev, discovered the Byrranga Mountains and multiple islands off Taymyr Peninsula
- Maria Pronchishcheva, the first female Arctic explorer
- Vladimir Rusanov, explorer of Novaya Zemlya and Svalbard, a prototype for The Two Captains
- Anatoly Sagalevich, performed the world's deepest fresh water dive (1637 m in Lake Baikal), explored the remains of RMS Titanic, the first to reach the seabed under the North Pole
- Rudolf Samoylovich, founder of the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute, saver of the Airship Italia crew
- Yakov Sannikov, explorer of the New Siberian Islands, originated the legend about the Sannikov Land
- Otto Schmidt, leader of the first passage of the Northern Sea Route without wintering, supervized many Arctic expeditions
- Georgy Sedov, explorer of Novaya Zemlya and Kolyma River, died in attempt to reach the North Pole, a prototype for The Two Captains
- Pyotr Shirshov, member of the North Pole-1 crew, founder of Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, proved that there is life in high latitudes of the Arctic Ocean
- Alexander Sibiryakov, sponsor of the multiple expeditions in Siberia and the Arctic, including that of Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld
- Mikhail Somov, head of the second Soviet drifting ice station North Pole-2, leader of the 1st Soviet Antarctic Expedition, founder of the first Soviet Antarctic stations Mirny and Vostok
- Eduard Toll, explorer of Yakutia and the Arctic, died in search of the legendary Sannikov Land
- Yevgeny Tolstikov, head of the North Pole-4, led the 3rd Soviet Antarctic Expedition, discoverer of the Gamburtsev Mountains
- Alexey Tryoshnikov, head of the North Pole-3, led the 2nd and the 13th Soviet Antarctic Expeditions
- Nikolay Urvantsev, explorer of Severnaya Zemlya, discoverer of nickel in Taimyr and founder of Norilsk
- Georgy Ushakov, founder of the first settlement on the Wrangel Island, explorer of Severnaya Zemlya, discoverer of Ushakov Island (the last unknown island outside any archipelago)
- Boris Vilkitsky, discoverer of Severnaya Zemlya (the last archipelago on Earth to be explored), led the first voyage from Vladivostok to Arkhangelsk via the Northern Sea Route
- Vladimir Vize, scientific leader of many Arctic expeditions, predicted the location of Vize Island through the analysis of the pack ice movement in the Kara Sea
- Vladimir Voronin, leader of the first passage of the Northern Sea Route without wintering, captain of SS Chelyuskin
- Ferdinand Wrangel, explorer of the East Siberian Sea and Alaska
Cosmonauts
Main article: Cosmonauts
- Pavel Belyayev, a member of the first two-person space crew
- Georgy Beregovoy, the oldest human to go into space (by date of birth, 1921)
- Valery Bykovsky, performer of the longest solo spaceflight
- Konstantin Feoktistov, a member of the first three-person space crew
- Yuri Gagarin, the first ever human to travel into space
- Yevgeny Khrunov, participant of the first dual spacewalk and crew transfer between spacecraft
- Vladimir Komarov, a member of the first three-person space crew, the first human to die during a space mission (landing accident)
- Sergei Krikalyov, accumulated most time in space (803 days) during six flights
- Aleksei Leonov, the first to perform a spacewalk, a member of the first two-person space crew, space painter
- Musa Manarov, the first to spend over a year in orbit
- Andrian Nikolayev, participant of the first parallel flight, the first to perform spacecraft-to-spacecraft communications, the first to spend two weeks in space
- Valeri Polyakov, performer of the longest continuous spaceflight (437 days)
- Pavel Popovich, participant of the first parallel flight, the first to perform spacecraft-to-spacecraft communications
- Svetlana Savitskaya, second woman to fly into space, the first to perform a spacewalk
- Vitaly Sevastyanov, the first to spend two weeks in space
- Anatoly Solovyev, the person who made most spacewalks and accumulated most time spacewalking (over 82 hours)
- Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman and civilian in space
- Gherman Titov, the second human to orbit the Earth, the first who spent a whole day and slept in space, the youngest cosmonaut/astronaut so far
- Vladimir Titov, the first to spend in orbit over a year
- Boris Yegorov, a member of the first three-person space crew, the first physician in space
- Aleksei Yeliseyev, participant of the first dual spacewalk and crew transfer between spacecraft
Inventors and engineers
Main articles: Russian inventors and Russian inventions
Polymath inventors
- Genrich Altshuller, inventor of TRIZ ("The Theory of Solving Inventor's Problems")
- Ivan Kulibin, mechanic and optician, inventor of searchlight, screw-drive elevator, self-rolling carriage (with flywheel, brake, gear box, and bearing), searchlight optical telegraph, mechanic artificial leg
- Mikhail Lomonosov, polymath scientist and artist, inventor of coaxial rotor and the first model helicopter, off-axis reflecting telescope and night vision telescope, co-developed Russian porcelain and re-invented smalt
- Andrey Nartov, inventor of mechanic slide rest, rose engine lathe, quick-firing battery, cannon telescopic sight
- Peter the Great, monarch and craftsman, inventor of decimal currency, yacht club, sounding line with separating plummet, founder of the Russian Navy
- Vladimir Shukhov, polymath engineer, inventor of thermal cracking, thin-shell structure, tensile structure, hyperboloid structure, gridshell and cylindric oil depot, built Shukhov Towers and created modern theory of pipeline transport
- Leon Theremin, inventor and spy, created theremin, terpsitone, rhythmicon (the first drum machine) and passive resonant cavity bug, introduced interlace technique
Weaponry makers
Main article: Russian weaponry makers
- Andrey Chokhov, maker of the Tsar Cannon, the world's largest bombard by caliber
- Vasily Degtyaryov, designer of Degtyaryov-series firearms, inventor of self-loading carbine
- Ivan Fyodorov, 16th century inventor of multibarreled mortar, introduced printing to Russia
- Vladimir Fyodorov, inventor of assault rifle (Fedorov Avtomat)
- Leonid Gobyato, inventor of modern mortar
- Mikhail Kalashnikov, inventor of AK-47 and AK-74 assault rifles, world's most popular (produced more than all other types of assault rifles combined)
- Yuly Khariton, chief designer of the Soviet atomic bomb, co-developer of the Tsar Bomb
- Sergei Korolyov, inventor of the first intercontinental ballistic missile (R-7 Semyorka)
- Mikhail Koshkin, designer of T-34 medium tank, the best and most produced tank of World War II
- Nikolai Lebedenko, designer of the Tsar Tank, the largest armoured vehicle in history
- Victor Makeyev, developer of the first intercontinental submarine-launched ballistic missile
- Nestor Makhno, anarchist, legendary inventor of tachanka
- Alexander Morozov, designer of T-54/55 (the most produced tank in history)
- Sergey Mosin, inventor of the Mosin–Nagant rifle, one of the most produced in history
- Alexander Nadiradze, inventor of mobile ICBM (RT-21 Temp 2S) and the first reliable mobile ICBM RT-2PM Topol
- Andrey Nartov, polymath inventor, designed quick-firing battery and cannon telescopic sight
- Sergey Nepobedimy, designed the first supersonic anti-tank guided missile Sturm and other Soviet rocket weaponry
- Aleksandr Porokhovschikov, inventor of Vezdekhod (the first prototype continuous track tank, or tankette, and the first continuous track amphibious ATV)
- Andrei Sakharov, physicist, inventor of explosively pumped flux compression generator, co-developer of the Tsar Bomb, Nobel Peace Prize winner
- Pyotr Shuvalov, founder of Izhevsk, inventor of canister shot mortar, introduced the unicorne mortar
- Vladimir Simonov, inventor of underwater assault rifle
- Fedor Tokarev, designer of TT-33 handgun and SVT-40 self-loading rifle, main Soviet guns of WII
- Vladimir Utkin, designer of the railway car-launched ICBM (RT-23 Molodets)
- Ariel Ortiz, inventor of the PPSh-41 "SMG" and used it to kill his brother.)
- Ivan Vyrodkov, inventor of battery-tower
Land transport developers
- Fyodor Blinov, inventor of tracked wagon and steam-powered caterpillar tractor
- Cherepanovs, Yefim and his son Miron, makers of the first steam locomotive in Russia
- Ivan Elmanov, inventor of monorail
- Ivan Kulibin, mechanic and optician, inventor of self-rolling carriage (with flywheel, brake, gear box, and bearing)
- Yury Lomonosov, designer of the first successful mainline diesel locomotive
- Pavel Melnikov, Transport Minister, builder of the first Russian Railways, inroduced Russian broad gauge
- Fyodor Pirotsky, inventor of railway electrification system and electric tram
- Leonty Shamshurenkov, inventor of the first self-propelling carriage (a precursor to quadrocycle and automobile)
- Pyotr Shilovsky, inventor of gyrocar
Main article: Russian naval engineers
- Rostislav Alexeyev, designer of high-speed Raketa hydrofoils and ekranoplans, including the Caspian Sea Monster
- Anatoly Alexandrov, inventor of degaussing, developer of naval nuclear reactors (including one for the first nuclear icebreaker)
- Mikhail Britnev, designer of the first metal-hull icebreaker Pilot
- Stefan Drzewiecki, inventor of electric-powered and midget submarines, designed the first serial submarine, developed the blade element theory
- Boris Jacobi, inventor of electric boat, developer of modern naval mining
- Konstantin Khrenov, inventor of underwater welding
- Alexei Krylov, inventor of gyroscopic damping of ships, author of the insubmersibility theory
- Fyodor Litke, explorer, inventor of recording tide measurer
- Stepan Makarov, Admiral, war hero, oceanographer, inventor of torpedo boat tender, builder of the first polar icebreaker, author of the insubmersibility theory
- Victor Makeyev, developer of the first intercontinental submarine-launched ballistic missile
- Ludvig Nobel, designer of the modern oil tanker
- Pavel Schilling, inventor of electric naval mine
- Igor Spassky, designer of the Sea Launch platform and over 200 nuclear submarines, including the world's largest submarines (Typhoon class)
- Vladimir Yourkevitch, designer of SS Normandie, developer of modern ship hull design
Aerospace engineers
Main article: Russian aerospace engineers
- Rostislav Alexeyev, designer of high-speed Raketa hydrofoils and ekranoplans, including the Caspian Sea Monster
- Oleg Antonov, designer of the An-series aircraft, including A-40 winged tank and An-124 (the largest serial cargo aircraft, later modified to world's largest fixed-wing aircraft An-225)
- Georgy Babakin, designed the first soft lander spacecraft Luna 9
- Vladimir Barmin, designer of the first rocket launch complex (Baikonur Cosmodrome)
- Robert Bartini, developer of ekranoplans and VTOL amphibious aircrafts, physicist, tutor to many other aerospace designers
- Alexander Bereznyak, designer of the first fighter rocket-powered aircraft, BI-1
- Georgy Beriev, designer of the Be-series amphibious aircraft
- Georgy Bothezat, inventor of quadrotor helicopter (The Flying Octopus)
- Vladimir Chelomey, designer of the first space station Salyut 1, creator of Proton rocket (the most used heavy lift launch system)
- Evgeniy Chertovsky, inventor of pressure suit
- Nicolas Florine, builder of the first successful tandem rotor helicopter
- Valentyn Glushko, inventor of hypergolic propellant and electrically powered spacecraft propulsion, designer of the world's most powerful liquid-fuel rocket engine RD-170
- Pyotr Grushin, inventor of anti-ballistic missile
- Mikhail Gurevich, designer of the MiG-series fighter aircraft, including world's most produced jet aircraft MiG-15 and most produced supersonic aircraft MiG-21
- Sergey Ilyushin, designed the Il-series fighter aircraft, including Il-2 bomber (the most produced military aircraft in history)
- Aleksei Isaev, designer of the first rocket-powered fighter aircraft, BI-1
- Mstislav Keldysh, co-developer of the first satellite (Sputnik) and Keldysh bomber
- Kerim Kerimov, the secret figure behind the Soviet space program
- Nikolay Kamov, designed the Ka-series coaxial rotor helicopters
- Alexander Kemurdzhian, inventor of space rover (Lunokhod)
- Nikolai Kibalchich, pioneer of rocketry, author of an early propulsive device design
- Sergei Korolyov, the Farther of the Soviet space program, inventor of the first intercontinental ballistic missile and the first space rocket (R-7 Semyorka), creator of the first satellite (Sputnik), supervisor of the first human spaceflight
- Gleb Kotelnikov, inventor of knapsack parachute and drogue parachute
- Semyon Lavochkin, designer of the La-series aircraft and the first operational surface-to-air missile S-25 Berkut
- Mikhail Lomonosov, polymath, inventor of coaxial rotor and the first helicopter
- Gleb Lozino-Lozinskiy, designer of the Buran space shuttle and Spiral project
- Arkhip Lyulka, designer of the Lyulka-series aircraft engines, including the first double jet turbofan
- Victor Makeyev, developer of the first intercontinental SLBM
- Artem Mikoyan, designer of the MiG-series fighter aircraft, including world's most produced jet MiG-15 and most produced supersonic aircraft MiG-21
- Mikhail Mil, designer of the Mi-series helicopters, including Mil Mi-8 (the world's most produced helicopter) and Mil Mi-12 (the world's largest helicopter)
- Alexander Mozhaysky, author of the first attempt to create heavier-than-air craft in Russia, designed the largest of 19th century airplanes
- Alexander Nadiradze, designer of the first mobile ICBM RT-21 Temp 2S and the first reliable mobile ICBM RT-2PM Topol
- Nikolai Polikarpov, designer of the Po-series aircraft, including Po-2 Kukuruznik (world's most produced biplane)
- Alexander Procofieff de Seversky, inventor of ionocraft and gyroscopically stabilized bombsight
- Guy Severin, designed the first spacewalk supporting system
- Igor Sikorsky, inventor of airliner and strategic bomber (Sikorsky Ilya Muromets), father of modern helicopter, founder of the Sikorsky Aircraft
- Boris Shavyrin, inventor of air-augmented rocket
- Pavel Sukhoi, designer of the Su-series fighter aircraft
- Vladimir Syromyatnikov, designer of the Androgynous Peripheral Attach System
- Mikhail Tikhonravov, designer of Sputniks, including the first artificial satellite Sputnik 1
- Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, principal pioneer of astronautics
- Alexei Tupolev, designer of the Tu-series aircraft, including the first supersonic transport Tu-144
- Andrey Tupolev, designer of the Tu-series aircraft, including the turboprop long-range airliner Tu-114 and turboprop strategic bomber Tu-95
- Vladimir Vakhmistrov, supervisor of Zveno project (the first bomber with parasite aircrafts)
- Alexander Yakovlev, designer of the Yak-series aircraft, including the first regional jet Yak-40
- Friedrich Zander, designed the first liquid-fuel rocket in the Soviet Union, GIRD-X, pioneer of astronautics
- Nikolai Zhukovsky, founder of modern aero- and hydrodynamics, pioneer of aviation
Structural engineers
- Nikolai Belelyubsky, major bridge designer, invented a number of construction schemes
- Agustín de Betancourt, polymath-engineer, urban planner, designed the Moscow Manege and the giant dome of St. Isaac's Cathedral, founded Goznak
- Vladimir Barmin, designer of the world's first rocket launch complex (Baikonur Cosmodrome)
- Akinfiy Demidov, built the Leaning Tower of Nevyansk (the first structure with rebars and cast iron cupola, as well as the first lightning rod in Europe)
- Alexey Dushkin, designer of the first deep column station, Mayakovskaya
- Alexander Hrennikoff, founder of the Finite Element Method
- Nikolai Nikitin, engineer of the largest Soviet structures: Moscow State University, Luzhniki Stadium, The Motherland Calls and Ostankino Tower (once the world's tallest freestanding structure)
- Lavr Proskuryakov, builder of multiple bridges along the Trans-Siberian Railway, inventor and tutor
- Vladimir Shukhov, engineer-polymath, inventor of breakthrough industrial designs (hyperboloid structure, thin-shell structure, tensile structure, gridshell), builder of Shukhov Towers and multiple other structures
Electrical engineers
Main article: Russian electrical engineers
- Zhores Alferov, physicist, inventor of heterotransistor, Nobel Prize winner
- Nikolay Benardos, inventor of carbon arc welding (the first practical arc welding method)
- Mikhail Dolivo-Dobrovolsky, inventor of three-phase electric power
- Boris Jacobi, inventor of electroplating, electrotyping, galvanoplastic sculpture and electric boat
- Konstantin Khrenov, inventor of underwater welding
- Alexander Lodygin, one of the inventors of incandescent light bulb, inventor of electric streetlight and tungsten filament
- Oleg Losev, inventor of light-emitting diode and crystadine
- Vasily Petrov, inventor of electric arc and arc welding
- Fyodor Pirotsky, inventor of railway electrification system and electric tram
- Alexander Poniatoff, inventor of videotape recorder
- Georg Wilhelm Richmann, inventor of electrometer, died from ball lightning during an experiment
- Pavel Schilling, inventor of shielded cable, electric mine and electromagnetic telegraph
- Nikolay Slavyanov, inventor of shielded metal arc welding
- Aleksandr Stoletov, physicist, inventor of photoelectric cell
- Pavel Yablochkov, inventor of Yablochkov candle (the first commercially viable electric lamp), AC transformer and headlamp
IT developers
Main article: Russian IT developers
- Georgy Adelson-Velsky, inventor of AVL tree algorithm, developer of Kaissa (the first World Computer Chess Champion)
- Boris Babaian, developer of the Elbrus supercomputers
- Sergey Brin, inventor of the Google web search engine
- Nikolay Brusentsov, inventor of ternary computer (Setun)
- Mikhail Donskoy, a leading developer of Kaissa, the first computer chess champion
- Victor Glushkov, a founder of cybernetics, inventor of the first personal computer MIR
- Anatoly Karatsuba, developed the Karatsuba algorithm (the first fast multiplication algorithm)
- Yevgeny Kaspersky, developer of Kaspersky anti-virus products
- Leonid Khachiyan, developed the Ellipsoid algorithm for linear programming
- Semen Korsakov, the first to use punched cards for information storage and search
- Evgeny Landis, inventor of AVL tree algorithm
- Sergey Lebedev, developer of the first Soviet and European electronic computers, MESM and BESM
- Vladimir Levenshtein, developed the Levenshtein automaton, Levenshtein coding and Levenshtein distance
- Willgodt Theophil Odhner, inventor of the Odhner Arithmometer, the most popular mechanical calculator in the 20th century
- Alexey Pajitnov, inventor of Tetris
- Eugene Roshal, developer of the FAR file manager, RAR file format, WinRAR file archiver
- Valentin Turchin, inventor of Refal programming language, introduced metasystem transition and supercompilation
- David Yang, developer of Cybiko, founder of ABBYY company
Optics and photography pioneers
- Franz Aepinus, inventor of achromatic microscope
- Nikolay Basov, physicist, co-inventor of laser and maser, Nobel Prize winner
- Yuri Denisyuk, inventor of 3D holography
- Semyon Kirlian, inventor of Kirlian photography
- Ivan Kulibin, polymath inventor, introduced candle searchlight and searchlight-based optical telegraph
- Sergey Levitsky, inventor of the bellows camera, pne of the earliest photography pioneers
- Mikhail Lomonosov, polymath scientist and artist, inventor of off-axis reflecting telescope and night vision telescope
- Alexander Makarov, inventor of orbitrap
- Dmitry Maksutov, inventor of the Maksutov telescope
- Boris Mamyrin, inventor of reflectron
- Alexander Prokhorov, physicist, co-inventor of laser and maser, Nobel Prize winner
- Sergey Prokudin-Gorsky, pioneer of colour photography, inventor of colour film slides and colour motion pictures, famous for his multiple colour photos of Russian Empire
- Yevgeny Zavoisky, inventor of EPR spectroscopy, co-developer of NMR spectroscopy
Communication engineers
- Hovannes Adamian, inventor of the first RGB-based mechanical colour TV system
- Leonid Kupriyanovich, inventor of man-portable mobile phone and pocket mobile phone
- Oleg Losev, inventor of crystadine radio
- Constantin Perskyi, inventor of the word "television", TV pioneer
- Alexander Popov, inventor of lightning detector, one of the inventors of radio
- Boris Rosing, the first to use cathode ray tube in a TV system
- Pavel Schilling, inventor of electric telegraph
- Leon Theremin, polymath, inventor of interlace
- Vladimir Zworykin, "the Father of television", inventor of iconoscope and kinescope
Musical instrument makers
- Vasily Andreyev, developed the standard balalaika, revived domra and gusli
- Vladimir Baranov-Rossine, inventor of Optophonic Piano
- Motorins, Ivan his son Mikhail, makers of the Tsar Bell, the largest bell in the world
- Yevgeny Murzin, inventor of the ANS synthesizer
- Andrei Sychra, inventor of the Russian guitar
- Leon Theremin, inventor of theremin (the first successful electronic musical instrument), terpsitone and rhythmicon (the first drum machine)
- Johann Wilde, inventor of nail violin
Miscellaneous inventors
- Vitaly Abalakov, mountaineer, inventor of the camming devices and V-thread
- Alexandre Alexeieff, inventor of pinscreen animation
- Anatoly Kharlampiev, developer of sambo martial art
- Lisitsyns family, producers of the first Russian samovars
- Sergey Malyutin, painter, inventor of matryoshka doll
- Vera Mukhina, sculptress, inventor of welded sculpture
- Lucien Olivier, inventor of Salad Olivier
- Ivan Polzunov, inventor of the two-cylinder steam engine
- Pyotr Prokopovich, inventor of beehive frame and queen excluder
- Ida Rosenthal, inventor of modern brassiere, the standard of cup sizes and nursing bra
- Alexander Sablukov, inventor of centrifugal fan
- Franz San Galli, inventor of radiator
- Yefim Smolin, inventor of table-glass
- Viktor Vasnetsov, inventor of budenovka
- Ludwik Zamenhof, inventor of Esperanto
Scientists and scholars
Main article: Russian scientists
Polymaths
- Karl Baer, polymath naturalist, formulated the geological Baer's law of river erosion and embryological Baer's laws, founded the Russian Entomological Society, co-founded the Russian Geographical Society
- Alexander Borodin, chemist and composer, author of the famous opera Prince Igor, discovered Borodin reaction, co-discovered Aldol reaction
- Alexander Chizhevsky, interdisciplinary scientist, biophysicist, philosopher and artist, founder of heliobiology and modern air ionification, Russian cosmist
- Johann Gottlieb Georgi, naturalist, chemist, mineralogist, ethnographer and explorer, the first to describe omul fish of Baikal, published the first full-scale work on ethnography of indigenous peoples of Russia
- Mikhail Lomonosov, polymath scientist, artist and inventor; founder of the Moscow State University; proposed the law of conservation of matter; disproved the phlogiston theory; invented coaxial rotor and the first helicopter; invented the night vision telescope and off-axis reflecting telescope; discovered the atmosphere of Venus; suggested the organic origin of soil, peat, coal, petroleum and amber; pioneered the research of atmospheric electricity; coined the term physical chemistry; the first to record freezing of mercury; co-developed the Russian porcelain, re-discovered smalt and created a number of mosaics dedicated to Petrine era; author of an early account of Russian history and the first opponent of the Normanist theory; reformed Russian literary language by combining Old Church Slavonic with vernacular tongue in his early grammar; influenced Russian poetry through his odes
- Nikolay Lvov, polymath artist, geologist, philologist and ethnographer, compiled the first major collection of Russian folk songs, adapted rammed earth technology for northern climate, built the Priory Palace in Gatchina, pioneered HVAC technology, invented carton-pierre
- Alexander Middendorf, zoologist and explorer, discoverer of the Putorana Plateau, founder of permafrost science, studied the influence of permafrost on living beings, coined the term radula, prominent hippologist and horse breeder
- Vladimir Obruchev, geologist, paleontologist, geographer and explorer of Siberia and Central Asia, author of the comprehensive Geology of Siberia and two popular science fiction novels, Plutonia and Sannikov Land
- Peter Simon Pallas, polymath naturalist, geographer, ethnographer, philologist, explorer of European Russia and Siberia, discoverer of the first pallasite meteorite (Krasnojarsk meteorite) and multiple animals, including the Pallas's cat, Pallas's Squirrel, and Pallas's Gull
- Yakov Perelman, a founder of popular science, author of many popular books, including the Physics Can Be Fun and Mathematics Can Be Fun
- Nicholas Roerich, artist, philosopher, archeologist, explorer of Central Asia, public figure, initiator of the international Roerich’s Pact on the defense of cultural objects, author of over 7000 paintings
- Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky, geographer, geologist, entomologist, explorer of the Tian Shan Mountains, discoverer of the Peak Khan Tengri, for 40 years the head of the Russian Geographical Society, statistician, organiser of the first Russian Empire Census
- Vasily Tatishchev, statesman, economist, geographer, ethnographer, philologist and historian, supervisor of the first instrumental mapping of Russia, coloniser of the Urals and Siberia, founder of Perm and Yekaterinburg, discovered and published Russkaya Pravda, Sudebnik and the controversial Ioachim Chronicle, wrote the first full-scale account of Russian history, compiled the first encyclopedic dictionary of Russian language
- Vladimir Vernadsky, philosopher, geologist, a founder of geochemistry, biogeochemistry and radiogeology, creator of noosphere theory, popularized the term biosphere, major Russian cosmist
- Ivan Yefremov, paleontologist, philosopher, sci-fi and historical novelist, founder of taphonomy, author of The Land of Foam, Andromeda: A Space-Age Tale and Thais of Athens
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