VASILY DIMITRIEVICH DIMITRIEV, A RESEARCHER OF THE HISTORY OF THE CHUVASH PEOPLE, IS 100 YEARS OLD (in memory of the scientist)

The relevance of the study is due to the fact that in January 2024, Vasily Dimitrievich Dimitriev, an outstanding researcher of the history of the Chuvash and other peoples of the Middle Volga region, turned 100 years old. His life and work are an example of service to science; his works are of lasting value for modern and future generations of researchers. The purpose of this article is to trace the life path of V.D. Dimitriev and evaluate his contribution to science, socio–political and cultural development of the republic and the country as a whole. Materials and methods. The main source base of the research was made by materials published in various publications about the personality of V.D. Dimitriev as a scientist, organizer of science and public figure, memoirs of his relatives and colleagues, unpublished documents and materials stored in the State Archive of Modern History, the personal archive of one of this article authors V.I. Sokolova, etc. In the context of the problem’s historiography, one can identify the research made by T.S. Sergeev, A. Kappeler, I.I. Boyko, S.M. Kashtanov, Y.P. Smirnov and many other researchers of V.D. Dimitriev’s works. The scientific novelty lies in the fact that the biography, the role and the place of V.D. Dimitriev in studying the history of the Chuvash people, the Chuvash region, the Middle Volga region, the Urals and Russia as a whole are described in detail. Study results. Professor V.D. Dimitriev dominates among the researchers of the Ural-Volga regions of the XVIII–XIX centuries. It should be noted that he was the first who began to study the history of the Chuvash and other peoples of the Volga region since ancient times, the first to include oral folk tales in the study. Conclusions. The article presents a brief biography and results of V.D. Dimitriev’s activities as a scientist, public figure, teacher and organizer of education. His significant contribution to the development of science and education of the republic is noted.