Russian Academy of Sciences unanimously asks Science and Education Ministry to cancel restrictions on contact with foreign scholars

The general assembly of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAN) has voted unanimously to recommend that the country’s Science and Education Ministry cancel an August order that places harsh restrictions on communication between Russian scholars and their international counterparts.

“The free exchange of scholarly ideas is a necessary condition for scholarly and scientific development,” argued a statement read before the assembly.

The body also condemned recent law enforcement searches in the Lebedev Physical Institute. RAN President Alexander Sergeyev supported both declarations, which were offered to members for consideration on the same day as the 2019 RAN elections.