Russian Academics Aim To Punish Colleagues Who Backed Ukraine Invasion

Some academic researchers in Russia are quietly working to prevent colleagues who have supported their country's invasion of Ukraine from being elected to the Russian Academy of Sciences this month. From a report: If they succeed, they will deny those who back the war a prized credential that confers prestige in Russian institutions of higher learning. Their campaign could also show that some acts of protest remain possible despite a government crackdown on dissent. The Russian Academy of Sciences is a nonprofit network of research institutes in a variety of disciplines across the Russian Federation. It has just under 1,900 members in Russia and nearly 450 nonvoting foreign members. The academy elects new members every three years. The upcoming poll, starting on Monday, is for 309 seats, including 92 for senior academicians and 217 for corresponding members. The competition is steep: More than 1,700 candidates have applied. This month, a group of Russian researchers started circulating a list of dozens of candidates who have publicly supported Russia's invasion of Ukraine by signing pro-war declarations or letters their universities or institutions released or by making such statements themselves.

Hundreds of high-ranking officials at Russian universities, most of whom were administrators rather than prominent scientists, also signed a letter in support of the war in March. But many academic researchers have taken an antiwar stance. More than 8,000 Russian scientists and science journalists have signed an open letter opposing the invasion since it was first published in February. Three academic researchers -- who were not identified because they risk job loss, imprisonment and their safety by publicly opposing the war -- said in interviews that they helped create the list of those who supported the war to prevent them from being elected to the academy.

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