Elena Yuryevna Kharkova, an expert in Tibetan cultural history and religio-philosophical thought, passed away on August 14, 2021.

Due to her research interests, Elena Yu. Kharkova had a close connection to the IOM RAS. Under the supervision of Professor Valeriy Isaevich Rudoy (1940–2009) she prepared her Candidate of Sciences dissertation on the legacy of the 20th-century Tibetan thinker Muge Samten Gyatso (1913–1993) and successfully defended it in 2006.

As part of preparation for the 190th anniversary of the Asiatic Museum, Elena Yu. Kharkova edited the English text of the commemorative edition “Russian Expeditions to Central Asia at the Turn of the 20th Century [Российские экспедиции в Центральную Азию в конце XIX — начале XX века]. Collected articles. Edited by I.F. Popova. St Petersburg, Slavia Publishers, 2008.”

Elena Yu. Kharkova regularly presented her research in conferences organized by the IOM RAS.