1/ At least 2,500 scientists are reported to have left Russia since the start of the war in Ukraine in February 2022 and the number of published scientific papers has collapsed. This comes as the result of isolation due to sanctions, visa restrictions and state paranoia. ⬇️
2/ Novaya Gazeta Europe (NGE) reports on the outcome of a survey of the international ORCID database, which lists more than 20 million scientists globally. Registration in ORCID is mandatory for publishing employees of large Russian universities.
3/ The data indicates more than 130,000 scientists resident in Russia in October 2023. The share of these changing their residence from Russia to a foreign country was practically unchanged from 2012 to 2021, but jumped to 30% in 2022.
4/ NGE estimates that, based on the trendlines, around 2,500 scientists have emigrated since 2022. The number of foreign scientists choosing to come to Russia has also dropped by over two-thirds.
5/ Many of the emigrants are likely to be younger people, as older, more established scientists face more professional and personal difficulties from emigration. Younger men are also more likely to be subjected to mobilisation and have a bigger incentive to leave Russia.
6/ According to one university professional interviewed by NGE, "the best are trying to leave immediately after completing their bachelor’s, master’s and postgraduate studies." Unlike IT workers, scientists are not exempted from being mobilised to fight in Ukraine.
7/ While most emigrating Russian scientists left for the US, Germany and the UK before the war, since February 2023 other destinations have been prefered, in particular Uzbekistan, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan and the UAE with a 300% growth in Russian scientific immigration.
8/ The top three destinations are now Germany, the US and Israel – which has had a 175% increase. However, Russian scientific immigration to the UK, France and the US has fallen by more than 20%.
9/ The impact on Russian science is already visible, with a sharp fall in the number and quality of published papers. The share of global science attributed to Russia has fallen from 2-3% to only 1-2%. Russian participation in international scientific conferences has shrunk.
10/ The collapse has been particularly noticeable in the proportion of academic conference papers with a Russia-affiliated author. Around 35,000 had at least one Russia-based author in 2021 but this dropped to about 20,000 in 2022 and only about 11,000 in 2023.
11/ One publication, the UK-based Journal of Physics: Conference Series, illustrates this trend starkly: papers by Russian authors presented in the series fell from nearly 6,000 in 2021 to only 106 by November 2023, despite Russia traditionally being a leader in physics research.
12/ The reasons for this are not hard to find. Scientists are often physically unable to attend conferences due to visa restrictions and bans on direct flights between Russia and the West. Russian scientists were also removed from international collaborative programmes.
13/ Russian scientists report an growing atmosphere of fear and paranoia at home, as well as a shortage of equipment and scientific supplies due to sanctions. Contact and collaboration with foreigners is regarded with increasing suspicion by the authorities.
14/ In some instances, distinguished scientists working on hypersonics and quantum technology have been charged with treason and illegally sharing information in a number of high-profile cases, even though they are said to have had official permission to collaborate.
15/ The impact on Russian science is likely to last for decades. The losses are not all one way, however, as Russia's withdrawal from the global scientific community is likely to hinder collective efforts on issues such as climate change. /end
1/ Russia's push to capture Pokrovsk is still being seriously hampered by Ukrainian drones, which are causing major problems for Russian logistics and supplies. Vehicles are unable to reach within 10 km of the front line because of the constant threat of drone attacks. ⬇️
2/ A Russian soldier on the ground writes to the 'Philologist in ambush' Telegram channel about the situation on the front line south of Pokrovsk:
"Everything hasn't changed much, we're still butting heads in the same places.
3/ "Novovasylivka is still behind us, there are head-on battles in Uspenivka, sometimes the faggots will take it, sometimes we'll recapture it, in principle, it's more behind us, but it's more of a gray area.
1/ A paedophile who committed murder, theft, robbery and rape, and served four prison sentences before joining the Russian army to fight in Ukraine, has been arrested for raping and murdering a 13-year-old girl while on leave in Russia. ⬇️
2/ 13-year-old Violetta Smirnova went missing on 21 March in the Tver region of Russia. After an intensive search, her body was found in a forest area eight days later, 11 km from her home village of Ryazanovo. She had been raped and strangled with a belt.
3/ Investigators soon afterwards arrested 34-year-old Aleksandr Sergeev from the nearby Firovsky District. He had given the girl a ride after she missed her bus to school, but instead took her into a forest and killed her.
1/ Russian soldiers are deserting because of abusive commanders who enjoy impunity to rob them, beat them, and punish them by sending them to die in futile assaults. A Russian warblogger appeals for them to be treated mercifully by the Russian army. ⬇️
2/ Anastasia Kashevarova writes of the problem of soldiers being "deprived of protection from illegal actions by the command", deserting, being recaptured and then being sent into assaults as punishment without any of the root causes being addressed:
3/ "There are cases, and there are many of them, when soldiers run away from the front, although they are ready to fight, but due to the actions of individual commanders (non-statutory relations) they are forced to desert.
1/ Russian soldiers are complaining that their Mad Max-style modified vehicles, with camouflage and anti-drone protection, are attracting fines (and demands for bribes) from traffic cops because they are no longer compliant with traffic regulations. ⬇️
2/ As previously reported, traffic police in Russia's border regions have reportedly been systematically fining Russian troops driving vehicles to the front lines. Russian warbloggers have been giving more details about the situation.
1/ It's now only a few hours until Donald Trump makes his big tariff announcement, but nobody should think that there is any kind of plan behind it. It's all about Trump's desire for domination and long-held crank economic views.
2/ "He “likes the shock and awe,” a White House official said, and aims to capitalize on it. “Each country needs to panic and call. … Trump wants to hear you grovel and say you’ll cut a deal.”"
3/ As Paul Krugman says, "Since most of our trading partners aren’t in a groveling mood, trade war seems inevitable."
He's also right to say there's no secret agenda or 4D chess behind Trump's plan.
1/ The Russian army is forcing mobilised men to sign contracts to become professional soldiers, or face death in suicidal assaults against Ukrainian positions. It likely aims to save money on salaries and ensure that the men can't go home if a ceasefire is declared. ⬇️
2/ The private Telegram channel 'ZOV Insider' has published a recording of the Chief of Staff of Engineers of the 82nd Motorised Rifle Regiment, Captain Yuri Mikhailovich Grechukhin, in which he threatens to send his men to a stormtrooper unit unless they sign contracts:
3/ "Mobilised servicemen, [if you] fucking don't sign the contract, fuck it. A fucking contract is being made. Tomorrow, all the fucking mobilised who stand here, fuck, I'm handing over to storm, fuck. All of them, for fuck's sake. No fucking exceptions. All of them.