A Noble Prize recipient with Ethiopian/Eritrean ancestry?

Who knew Andrei Sakharov the world famous nuclear scientist and soviet political dissident in the 1980s had Ethiopian ancestry? I heard this fascinating link from none other than a family member which I happened to meet and talked briefly last week during an event held in U.S. Congress building to celebrate winners of Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought. Actually, I had interesting conversations with some political personalities, famous journalists and human right activists that day. Perhaps, I will talk about that some time in the future. But for today, I would focus on this interesting news for me or for many others.
For many of us this might not be the first time we hear of the historic inter-marriages between Ethiopians and people of slavic origin. I am sure quite a number of Ethiopians/Eritreans as well as Russians/Ukrainians or slavic people know that the great 18th century Russian poet Alexander Pushkin has Ethiopian/Eritrean root. If not broadly known like that of Pushkin's, the brief story of the multi-talented British actor, playwright, director & novelist Sir Peter Ustinov having a Russian aristocracy lineage on his father side and Ethiopian ancestry on his mother side was broadcasted in this Frontline segment.  Even though the segment put his lineage to one of Emperor Theodore's daughters, serious scholarly work done later by Toby Berger Holtz trace Sir Ustinov's Ethiopian lineage to one Magdalena who was a daughter of an Ethiopian woman, Wolete Selassie aka Katarina and Moritz Hall, (Polish-Russian former soldier of the Russian Imperial Army who was with European missionaries coerced into manufacturing cannon at Gaffat, near Debra Tabor by Emperor Tewodros). 
In the past I have also written in this blog the story of Mishka Babichef who was one of the first trained pilots of Ethiopia and who was a son of Count Babicheff of Russia and of an Ethiopian mother. Here is the link to that story.
But the famous Russian nuclear scientist and Soviet-time dissident having an Ethiopian ancestry, that was unheard of and big news to me. I don't know if this information is available somewhere. If not this can be considered as breaking news. I have tried to find some written sources to validate what I was told. So far the sources I have looked including shortened version of Andrei Sakharov's biography have nothing to say about his Ethiopian ancestry.  For those who do not know who Andrei Sakharov is, read his biography here in brief:

Andrei Sakharov and his son Dima (1970)

In short he was Russian nuclear physicist and human rights advocate. in the 1950s, he worked with other scientists to develop the Soviet Union's first hydrogen bomb. Decade later Sakharov had become concerned about the moral and political implications of his work and became politically active. He became an outspoken critic of the nuclear arms race and of Soviet repression. In 1975, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for peace. He and his wife Elena Bonner were later exiled to Siberia. They were released in 1986 and returned to Moscow. Elected to the Congress of People's Deputies in April 1989. He died months later in December 1989 at the age of 68.

My source who is a family member of Sakharov family told me that part of their family trace their ancestry to General Abraham Petrovich Hannibal/Gannibal who is the Ethiopian/Eritrean great grand father of Alexander Pushkin. The story of Hannibal or Gannibal as he call himself good part of his life is a fascinating story by itself. Here is what I learned. 

Abram Petrovich Gannibal (1696-1781)

 There are controversies as to his birth place and speculations as to how the young Abraham ended up in Constantinople (present day Istanbul) or eventually in Saint Petersburg at the Russian Czar, Peter the Great's palace. I am aware of the latest writing/literature by Cameroonian author tracing the origin of Abraham(Ibrahim) Gannibal to Longo region in Cameroon. Until further studies (backed by DNA tracing) provide conclusive evidence, I will stick to what the world have known for long that Abaraham Hannibal was born around Marab River in Ethiopia (to be precise present day Eritrea) . With regards to how the Eight year old Abraham  made it to Constantionople, Eritrean scholar Solomon G/Giorgis citing other sources including Professor Pankhurst asserts that Abraham and his sister were abducted by Ottoman Turks when Ottoman forces defeated forces led by their local chieftain father. Same source wrote that Abraham's sister died during the sea voyage to Constantinople. According to various sources, Abraham stayed for about a year in Constantinople in the service of the Sultan's household until he was taken to Russia. Despite the widely held belief that he went to Russia as a slave, there are different interpretations of the circumstance he went to Russia. Some sources indicate that he was sold to the Russian Czar by the Turkish Sultan while other sources say he was given as a tribute to the Russian Czar during his visit to Constantinople. There are other sources which indicated that it was the Russian Ambassador in Istanbul/Constantinople, one Count Tolstoy (the great grandfather of another Russian literary giant Leo Tolstoy) who sent the young Abraham to Russia.
In any case, in Russia the young man was baptized as Abraham Petrovic with the Czar himself as his Godfather. In the beginning, Abraham served as a palace page, valet and secretary to Peter the Great. In 1716, when Peter the Great visited France, he took Abraham along with him as a member of his entourage. Abraham was left behind in France to enroll in a military college. It is there where he adopted the name Hannibal after the legendary Carthage ruler and African military genius who defeated the mighty Romans.  He studied engineering specifically "military fortification and explosives" and participated as a volunteer for the French side in the war between Spain and France. He resumed his engineering study after the war and upon graduation, the Czar wanted Abraham to return to Russia soon. Abraham stayed in France giving excuses but eventually returned to Russia in 1725.  In a way this part of Abraham Hannibal's story reminded me the story of Fitawrari TekleMariam Teklehawaryat who was also adopted by Russian aristocrat family and who also chose to become a military cadet in Military academies first in Russia then in France. Could the young Teklemarian be influenced by the story of Abraham who he may have heard that time from members of the Russian aristocratic family to have chosen such a military career? I would say so. Unfortunately, his superb autobiography that I read recently and enjoyed immensely say nothing about this possible influence.  
Upon returning to Russia and in the coming years and decades, Abraham  had become a respected military engineer, who was promoted under successive rulers gradually rising to the rank of General

Aleksander Pushkin

and lived on into the reign of Catherine the Great.  He also married members of the aristocratic family and had 11 children altogether from his two wives. One of his sons (the third from the his marriage to his 2nd wife Christine von Schöberg) Osip Abramovic was the grandfather to the giant in Russian literature, the poet Alexander Pushkin.  (To see the family tree follow this link ).
Whether another Russian giant Andrei Sakharov is a descendant of Osip Abramovic or of another child of General Abraham Petrovic Hannibal is a puzzle to solve for a history buff like me. This says this is not the end of the story. I am excited by the challenge to dig on more on this matter. 

ps. Some members of the Britsh Aristocracy such as Natalian Grosvenor, the Duchess of Westminister and George Mountbatten, fourth Marquess of Milford Haven also trace their family lineage to General Abraham Hannibal.

Sources:
http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/features/blackeuro/pushkinback.html
http://www.meadna.com/business page/lela pages/Abrahame Hannibalpage.htm
http://ganniba.blogspot.com/2013/04/gannibal-is-een-fascinerende-en.html