Upper photo of Stanislav Petrov
©2002, The Washington Post Writers Group
Reprinted with permission.

Lower photo of Stanislav Petrov
© Juliet Butler / Alamy
Reprinted with permission.
 

More about the 1983 incident: 

         

         

          

         

         

          

 

    *The BBC Interview requires RealPlayer®
            (or a similar player)

    **The Voice of America video report requires Windows Media Player

Stanislav Petrov Honored at the United Nations

Stanislav Petrov was honored in a meeting at the United Nations in New York City Jan. 19, 2006, which he described as his “happiest day in many years.” At the United Nations meeting, The Association of World Citizens, an international peace organization with branches in 30 countries, presented Stanislav Petrov with a special World Citizen Award. This is the second such award he has received from that organization (both awards are described further down on this page).

The following day Stanislav Petrov met with renowned American journalist Walter Cronkite at his CBS office in New York City. That interview, in addition to other highlights of Stanislav Petrov’s trip to the United States, will be included in a documentary, The Man Who Saved the World, which is being produced by the Danish motion picture company Statement Film. It is expected to be released in July 2009.

Stanislav Petrov was in the United States Jan. 14-28, 2006, participating in many meetings and interviews.

Stanislav Petrov revisited the United States in the spring of 2007, traveling to New York, to missile silos in South Dakota, to Las Vegas and the Nevada Test Site, and to San Francisco (all part of filming for the documentary The Man Who Saved the World).

Stanislav Petrov — World Citizen Award

May 21, 2004

After more than 20 years without any formal recognition of his extraordinary actions in 1983, Stanislav Petrov was officially presented with the World Citizen Award May 21, 2004, in Moscow, Russia, by the Association of World Citizens, an international peace organization with branches in 30 countries. Here is a sampling of media reports of the award presentation:

       

       

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The plaque presented to Stanislav Petrov is on redwood,
with gold lettering inscribed on black metal

WORLD CITIZEN AWARD

STANISLAV PETROV

This special World Citizen Award is presented to Stanislav Petrov for
his courage and judgment on September 26, 1983, when in charge of an
early warning bunker outside of Moscow.

On that fateful day of high tension between the United States and the
Soviet Union, the early warning system reported the U.S. had launched
a missile attack on Russia. Instead of alerting command headquarters,
which may have set in motion a retaliatory nuclear exchange, Colonel
Petrov retained his composure for an agonizing time as alarms blared
with more warnings of an attack, trusting his judgment that the
warning was a false alarm.

Colonel Petrov was correct and his decision may have saved humanity
from a nuclear catastrophe. Dr. Bruce Blair, President of the Center
for Defense Information, and a former U.S. Minuteman Missile Launch
Officer, believes this incident is the closest we have come to
accidental nuclear war.

We are all indebted to Stanislav Petrov, a Hero of our time and
Citizen of the World.

Presented in Moscow, Russia, on May 21, 2004, by the
Association of World Citizens
Headquarters in San Francisco, CA USA
Douglas Mattern, President

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January 19, 2006

At the United Nations in New York City on Jan. 19, 2006, in Dag Hammarskjöld Auditorium, Stanislav Petrov again was honored by the Association of World Citizens with a second World Citizen Award. On the trophy, which is a granite base with a solid glass hand holding the Earth, is this inscription: “The single hand that holds the earth symbolizes your heroic deed on September 26, 1983, that earned you the title: The Man Who Averted Nuclear War.” On the back of the award are inscribed the words, “May the hand now symbolize humanity united to save our world by eliminating nuclear weapons from the face of the earth.”

Australian Senate
Commends Stanislav Petrov

In a motion passed by the Senate in the Parliament of Australia June 23, 2004, Stanislav Petrov was commended for his actions in averting what could have become a worldwide nuclear war in 1983. The motion can be seen in the Senate Journals Internet database.

Anyone wishing to write a letter to Stanislav Petrov, or send a contribution to help him, can do so through this address:

Stanislav Petrov
c/o Association of World Citizens
55 New Montgomery Street, Suite 224
San Francisco, CA 94105
USA

Those choosing to send donations to Stanislav Petrov should make their checks payable to WORLD CITIZENS FOUNDATION. The Association of World Citizens, in cooperation with The Moscow News, promises that all letters and the entire amount of all donations will be forwarded to Stanislav Petrov. More information is available on the Association of World Citizens Web site.