Russian Academics See "No Future" at Home

Russian academics who have fled the country in recent weeks say there’s no future left for them there amid a clampdown on free speech and severing of international ties.

Three scholars who spoke to Times Higher Education after fleeing their home country in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine could be the tip of a new brain drain, with Western sanctions also set to crush the Russian economy.

One academic, who spoke on condition of anonymity, had been leading a team at a top Moscow-based institution for a decade. Then, days after the war began on Feb. 24, he fled to Armenia, leaving behind his life and work.

“Officially, I’m still in Moscow,” he laughed. But soon the amusement left his voice. “Academic freedom is very important. I think that it’s coming to an end.”

On March 4, Russia’s Parliament effectively criminalized free speech about the Ukraine war. Those who express opinions contradicting the official government line face up to 15 years in prison.

For the academic, who had signed antiwar petitions, this was the tipping point. But he said that scholars were being squeezed from all sides. In recent weeks, many Western universities have severed ties with Russian institutions, and some journals no longer accept submissions from Russian scholars. “We’ll lose any opportunities to collaborate,” he said.

Ilya, a Russian scholar who asked that only his first name be used, was in a similar position, speaking from a hostel room in Uzbekistan, which he shares with his wife and young child.

He said that if nothing changes soon in Russian politics, those who have left in recent weeks are “very likely to be just the first wave of emigration.”

He also felt that he was unable to continue speaking out against the war after the passage of the new law barring free speech.