Why did Doctor of Biological Sciences Professor Pavel Yakovlevich GOLODRIGA commit suicide
Pavel Yakovlevich Golidriga is an outstanding scientist in the fields of breeding, genetics and grape physiology, a striking individual among researchers of the viticulture and winemaking industry.

His scientific works have great theoretical and practical significance in various aspects of grape science – breeding and genetics, biochemistry and biophysics, experimental mutagenesis and polyploidy, immunity physiology and in vitro culture. He studied physiological‑biochemical criteria of frost resistance, early ripening, phylloxera resistance, drought and heat tolerance.

The result of his research work – the creation of 43 varieties (including 23 with complex resistance), covering more than 5 thousand hectares of mother plantings. Among them are the widely known varieties Aurora Magarach, Danco, Early Magarach, Ruby Magarach, etc. He obtained 23 author’s certificates for inventions.

The scientist lived his beloved work.

Year 1985… According to some data, 30% of vineyards were destroyed, compared with 22% during the Second World War. Unique collection grape varieties were eradicated. For example, the grape variety “ekim‑kara”, a component of the famous Soviet‑era wine “Black Doctor”, was completely eliminated. Breeding work in particular faced harsh persecution.

Vineyards were being torn up in the Krasnodar region; it was painful to drive past the wastelands where rows of vines had recently grown, the geometry of the rows always delighted, or perhaps not the geometry but the realization that later one could taste them, we rejoiced in the beauty of the grape clusters

At that time, the famous winery “Massandra” was saved from destruction only by the intervention of Vladimir Shcherbitsky and the first secretary of the Crimean regional party committee, Makarenko. The active promoters of the anti‑alcohol campaign were the secretaries of the CPSU Central Committee, Yegor Ligachyov and Mikhail Solomentsev, who insisted on the destruction of vineyards. During a vacation in Crimea, Yegor Kuzmich was taken to “Massandra”. There, for all 150 years of the famous plant’s existence, samples of the produced wines are stored – a wine library. All renowned wineries of the world have similar repositories. But Ligachyov said: “This wine library must be destroyed, and ‘Massandra’ shut down!” Vladimir Shcherbitsky could not stand it and called Gorby directly, saying this was an excess, not a fight against drunkenness. Mikhail Sergeyevich said: “Alright, preserve it.”

Golidriga tried to persuade Gorby to cancel the destruction of vineyards, but he was not heard…. On 19.12.1986 the academic committed suicide … one of the leading breeder‑scientists, director of the All‑Union Research Institute of Winemaking and Viticulture “Magarach” Doctor of Biological Sciences Professor Pavel Golidriga … hanged himself out of hopelessness, I think his work was simply cut down, everything he served, everything he knew… He was 65 years old.