2022 Volume 5 Issue 5 (Published 31 July 2023)

Dear colleagues,  

  Prefacing the fifth issue, I'd like to say a few words regarding organizational matters. Soviet news used to have a section called "News from the fields". It's August, and we are gradually gaining ground in the race to keep on with the schedule. Keeping in mind that we have almost completed the special issue dedicated to the 100^th anniversary of birthday of the full member of the Academy of Sciences of USSR M. E. Volpin, one of the greatest minds of INEOS RAS, we still have almost six months to release six issues in 2023. It's a difficult but achievable goal. We just need to not allow our pace to slacken, to give it even more effort, and finally hit the proper rhythm.

It bears saying that the activity of our authors is hard to predict. The Volpin conference was a great success, and we expected an equal level of enthusiasm when it came to submitting works to publish in INEOS OPEN. Alas, it feels like the charge was gone with the end of the conference. It's with some disappointment that we have to denote that this was the reason for a delay in the preparation of the special issue that should have become the fifth one.

Our foreign colleagues at least have the excuse of having their names published alongside Russian authors being not recommended in the majority of European countries. Therefore, the very fact of their participation in the conference is highly appreciated. As for the Russian participants, we wish they exuded more enthusiasm in preserving the name of their teacher.

Life goes on. Among other prominent scientific events, I'd like to mention the recent MOLMAG-2023 conference held in Novosibirsk. The traditionally international conference was held in English, confirming its international status.

The general sections were spearheaded by the masters in the field: full members of the RAS R. Z. Sagdeev, I. L. Eremenko, S. M. Aldoshin, and O. G. Sinyashin, while their colleagues Yu. G. Gorbunova and I. D. Fedyushkin gave lectures. Our institute was well represented with the invited lectures from A. A. Trifonov, V. V. Novikov, and Yu. V. Nelyubina. I took part in the memorial session dedicated to the late V. I. Ovcharenko and presented a report on the unexecuted directions of the joint research that require further attention and development. Partly, it echoed the reports of the closest students and followers of V. I .Ovcharenko, namely, Prof. E. V. Tratyakov and the conference co-chair M. V. Fedin. The latter had not only absorbed the scientific ideas of the master, but seemed to also have inherited the skill of organizing conferences in such a way that all participants feel comfortable and welcome, which is traditional for the International Tomography Center.

We would dearly love to end this piece on a sweet nostalgic note, but, alas, life mercilessly delivers more losses. The full member of the RAS Oleg Matveevich Nefedov had passed in the last days of July. We would quickly run out of space if we were to list all of his titles and achievements in the field of Russian organic chemistry, for the benefit of the country. For us, he was first our dear neighbor, a long-time editor of our favorite journals "Russian Chemical Reviews" and "Russian Chemical Bulletin", the founder of the Higher Chemical College of the RAS, and above all else an amazing chemist and person! Let's take a moment of silence to honor him. Never to be forgotten.

Sincerely yours, Editor-in-Chief Prof., Full Member of RAS Aziz M. Muzafarov

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