No country in the world has had so many revolutions, fateful coups and decisive restructurings as in Russia. Unfortunately, the result too often turned out to be not only disastrous, but also the opposite of what was intended. Now Russia is again on the threshold of radical reforms - it has taken a strategic course towards modernization, towards building an innovative economy, and towards increasing competitiveness. The intellectual potential of Russia is high, active people are yearning for a great cause and are waiting for their talents to be in demand by society and the state. Unfortunately, the Russian intellectual elite has disappeared from the pages of the media, it is almost invisible on television, and vanishingly few books are being published about modern Russian science. The book “Smart Guys” by Sergei Leskov is an attempt to fill this gap. It contains conversations with leading Russian scientists about the fate of Russia, the roots of its problems and prospects for development, the role of the intelligentsia in our history, as well as essays about unique Russian scientific centers, many of which still live under the heading of secrecy. The theme of these conversations and essays is complemented by essays on the difficult fate of Russian science and the intelligentsia.