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Dear AIB members,

 

Below is a letter I am sending on behalf of a Russian professor who, after much convincing, agreed to send the letter anonymously. This is a personal touching revelation of the misery that Russian scholars are going through these days. He extends a call for understanding and appreciation of their suffering and pain, that I heartly endorse. They need our help and support.

 

Expressions of sympathy to the Ukrainian victims of this atrocity have been pouring from around the world, but during all this, we had forgotten the millions of Russians who oppose this invasion at least as much as we do and probably more, and the price they pay for the atrocities of their government. 

 

I am trying to help this Russian professor find a position outside of Russia. Please contact me if you can help with this at the earliest convenient. So far borders are open, and Russians can leave Russia. No one knows how long this will last.

 

Thank you

 

Lilac Nachum

Baruch College, CUNY

 

 

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Dear AIB Colleagues and Friends,

 

I am writing to you in my personal capacity as a Russian scholar and an AIB member, and the views I express are only my personal subjective opinion.

 

The tragedy taking place in Ukraine had split the Russian academic community into two groups: One is made of representatives of the administration and employees of Russian universities and expresses solidarity with the policy of the Russian government. The other, which includes leading scholars and young researchers integrated into international academic activities, takes the opposite view. The position of the first group is forced and formal and contributes to the growing isolation of Russian academics from the most significant achievements of modern science. The position of the second group reflects the actual attitudes of professors, students, and employees of Russian universities.

 

Since 2014, Russia has been under sanctions, but until the last two weeks this has not directly affected research and educational activities. Since then, new, strong and diverse sanctions have hit the country, sharply restricting academic activity and completely cutting off Russian scholars from the global academic community. Some European universities have announced the termination of cooperation with Russian schools; international databases have suspended their activity in Russia, and educational platforms have refused to work with Russian content.

 

In the literature on sanctions, the term ‘smart sanctions’ is used to describe a selective approach to the object of sanctions. In other words, the person or organization that violates international norms and agreements should be ‘punished’. Unfortunately, this Is not the kind of sanctions that have been placed on Russian academic institutions. Rather, ‘total sanctions’ have been applied to the Russian academic community, based on the principle of collective responsibility. This approach punishes precisely the people who do not agree with the current state policy. These people are oriented towards Western values, seek to be integrated into international cooperation processes, and dream of Russia becoming a worthy partner and respected neighbor in Europe and the world.

 

In my broad network of Russian academic contacts, there is not a single person who support the aggression and violence against Ukraine and its citizens. I personally am very sorry that people on both sides are suffering losses. But neither I nor my colleagues can openly express our point of view. As you probably know, recently adopted law threatens 15 years in prison for spreading ‘fake’ information. Even a hint of disagreement with the position of the state can lead at least to dismissal from work and restriction of rights.

 

Therefore, for most citizens, a neutral (out of politics) position remains the only way to maintain dignity and at the same time survive. For Russian scholars, this is a particularly painful situation, as instead of providing support, European universities and other academic organizations impose restrictions.

 

In this regard, I pledge the AIB leadership and the AIB community in large for an understanding of the situation in which Russian scholars find themselves, and hope for continued cooperation with Russian researchers and doctoral students. Personally, I adhere to world academic values and will continue my research and publication activity in line with the most relevant topics and directions. I hope that my colleagues – professors, lecturers, students – will follow my example and do the same. Regardless of the political situation we remain academic scholars and look forward to your understanding and support.

 

Russian professor






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