On 29 July, after a short illness, a leading researcher in the Department of Spin Physics of Low‑Slope Systems at the Laboratory of High Energy Physics, Doctor of Physics and Mathematics Igor Mikhailovich Sitnik passed away.

I. M. Sitnik, after having graduated from the Physics Department of Lomonosov Moscow State University in 1964, was employed at the Department of VBLHEP. The beginning of his scientific activity is united with experimental investigations on the Wilson chamber of coulomb‑nuclear interference in the scattering of pions on protons. Later, these investigations were successfully continued by him on an advanced facility using spark chambers on the line with computers and the results became the basis of his Ph. D. thesis that he successfully defended in 1974.

Igor Mikhailovich was a highly qualified physical experimenter, a participant in numerous experiments both on the beams of synchrophasotron and Nuclotron JINR and on accelerators in France, Germany and the USA. With his engagement, investigations of elastic scattering of alpha particles at small angles, processes of fragmentation of light nuclei were carried out. Of particular note is his contribution to polarization research that has gained wide international fame. He has more than once presented measurement results at numerous international conferences. The result of his active scientific activity was the defense of a thesis for the degree of Doctor of Physics and Mathematics in 2000.

Recently, I. M. Sitnik has been improving the processing of experimental data using the software package he modernized based on FUMILIM.

Igor Mikhailovich is a co-author of more than 200 scientific papers, three candidate theses were defended under his supervision. He was four times awarded the First JINR Prizes for series of papers in the section of scientific and experimental research. To carry out research, he was twice allocated grants from the RFBR. He was more than once awarded the Certificates of Honor of JINR and the city of Dubna. He was awarded the Medal "In memory of the 850th anniversary of Moscow". In his youth, he was a member of the JINR Council of Young Scientists and from 1990 to 1993 - a member of the Dubna City Council of People's Deputies of the 21st convocation.

Igor Mikhailovich enjoyed well-deserved scientific authority among his colleagues, he is characterized by a critical approach to research and in the interpretation of the results obtained.

Directorates and the Trade Union Committee of VBLHEP, the staff of the Laboratory express their sincere condolences to the family and friends of Igor Mikhailovich.

The bright memory of a creative person and a real scientist will always be with us.