Andrey Vasil’yevich Pastukhov - military surveyor, conqueror of the highest peaks of the Caucasus
A.V. Pastukhov is one of the earliest outstanding famous Russian military surveyors and scientific researchers. He had carried out the most important topographic surveys in hard-to-reach areas of high mountain regions of the Greater and Lesser Caucasus. A.V. Pastukhov was the first Russian alpinist. He mounted and mapped the main peaks: Elbrus, Kazbek, Khalatsa, Ushba, Shahdag, Aragats, Greater and Lesser Ararat, and others. He made detailed description of underexplored or previously unexplored areas of the Caucasus and contributed to the knowledge of their geological structure, plant and animal life, ornithology, glaciers state, climatic conditions, and ethnography. He was the first conqueror of both peaks of Elbrus - the west one in 1890 and the east one in 1896; he also ascended peak of Greater Ararat three times and peak of Lesser Ararat twice. According to his outstanding merits A.V. Pastukhov was elected to scientific societies; he published his trips results in articles. Andrey Vasil’yevich Pastukhov’s memory is perpetuated in geographical names in the Caucasus and Antarctica.