The Academy of Sciences began to be deprived of property. And - defiantly and in a cynical form

Novaya Gazeta obtained a document confirming the worst fears of the representatives of the Russian scientific community about the first consequences of the hasty “reform” of the Academy of Sciences pushed through by the authorities

Novaya Gazeta has obtained a document confirming the worst fears of representatives of the Russian scientific community about the first consequences of the hasty “reform” of the Academy of Sciences pushed through by the authorities.

This document is an order signed by the President of the Russian Academy of Sciences V.E. Fortov on November 18 of this year and sent to everyone who will have to carry it out: directors of academic institutions, heads of councils, commissions and departments of the Russian Academy of Sciences. In a word, to everyone who occupies their legal square meters in the famous building of the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences at Leninsky Prospekt, 32-a. In a building that received the nickname "Golden Brains" for its appearance (it is crowned with an intricate geometric structure of glass, aluminum and bronze) and for the concentration of a large number of scientists in it.

Recall that the decision to build this building for the USSR Academy of Sciences, whose institutes were already suffering from a lack of space, was made back in 1966. The then president of the Academy of Sciences, Mstislav Keldysh, is considered the initiator and inspirer of this project. Construction began in 1974, and the first stage of the building, in which 22 floors were allocated to scientific institutions, was put into operation in 1990. The building, which initially did not arouse much enthusiasm among the scientists who were ordered to move into it (many considered this place to be “geopathogenic”), was subsequently settled in and became a place not only for the working existence of many research institutes and other departments, but also a platform for numerous scientific conferences , seminars and symposia.

What does the order of the President of the Russian Academy of Sciences for No. 10120-941 prescribe?

Those institutions and organizations that have other buildings and areas were ordered to leave Golden Brains before December 30 of this year and move to the place of their “main registration”. In this list, for example, the Institute of Theoretical Physics. Landau, the Institute for Nuclear Research, the Institute for Socio-Political Research and five more research institutes. They must release a total of 941 sq. m. m area.

The other group is those who have no other home than at Leninsky 32-a (such as the Institute of World History, the Institute of Ethnology and Ethnography, or the Institute of Slavic Studies). They are instructed to shrink strongly, condense and hand over the "surplus" to the reserve of the administration of affairs - also until December 30. Such "surplus" is recruited 440 square meters. m.

They are also evicted from the "Golden Brains" with moving to other academic addresses (apparently, the old-timers will be squeezed out there for this) or the councils, commissions and departments of the Russian Academy of Sciences are "compacted" (You can read the document here).

And why all these transfers and withdrawals? The answer is simple - not to place anyone on the vacated areas, but just the Federal Agency for Scientific Organizations (FASO) formed with the scandal. That is, a purely bureaucratic structure created this autumn to "manage" the scientific institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Including (and some believe that - primarily) for the "disposition" of the property (nominally federal), which the Russian Academy of Sciences and other academies, merged with the Academy, still have. Of course, the area that will be taken away from scientific institutes and organizations is only a small part of the huge building on Leninsky. But firstly, a precedent has been created, and a very symbolic one at that, as if in retaliation for the opposition. And secondly, a reduction in space can also lead to a reduction in staff, and this stems not from scientific and organizational considerations, but from a banal lack of space.

Two facts are noteworthy. First: at the end of October, an unnamed source from FANO told a representative of the RIA Novosti agency that “no changes and relocations of the academy units that are located in this building (i.e., the building of the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences on Leninsky. - Approx . ed . ) are not planned. What has changed in two weeks, whether it was a traditional and cynical “cover operation”, or someone put pressure on someone, one can only guess.

And the second. As we well remember, Professor Preobrazhensky tried to condense Shvonder with his comrades from the House Committee, who had little understanding of science and medicine. Unfortunately, in the case of the Golden Brains building, the role of Shvonder's compactor was played by the president of the Academy of Sciences, Vladimir Evgenievich Fortov. Discouraged academic scientists can only guess: their president simply "cambered" under the weight of executive power, or, having received an offer "that cannot be refused," he tried to choose the lesser evil - they say, if he had rested, the losses could have been even greater in the end.

Be that as it may, this does not change the essence of what is happening: the first stage of the reform of the Russian Academy of Sciences - squeezing scientists out of well-located real estate - has begun. Down and Out trouble started. In the center of Moscow and in other "convenient" quarters of the capital, there are many attractive mansions and simple buildings that house academic research institutes and centers. So next in line for the Golden Brains is golden real estate.

"This is not murder, but this is humiliation"

Scientists comment on the eviction

Academician Yuri RYZHOV, Chairman of the Scientific Council of the Russian Academy of Sciences "History of World Culture", who is asked to move from a room with a total area of ​​56.0 sq. m in the building on Vavilov street:

- Within the framework of this Council, on a voluntary basis, there are a lot of semi-poor, highly educated enthusiasts who write important cultural books. They all work somewhere: some teach, some work in research organizations, in archives. They don't work in this area. There is one or two staff members of a technical nature.

There are two small rooms. One is larger, the other is the so-called office of the chairman, in which I almost never sat. True, there are small rooms in the "brains" where meetings of the Council can be held. It can accommodate 20-30 people. They don't belong to the Council, you just book a meeting room. But maybe there are such on Vavilov.

I'll probably check with Fortov how it is to move? Will there be porters, transport? Or upside down, so to speak. The technical aspects need to be clarified.

Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences Askold IVANCHIK, Chief Researcher at the Institute of World History of the Russian Academy of Sciences, who is asked to “optimize” the use of premises with a total area of ​​140 sq. m:

— The Institute occupies two floors. But at the same time, even now there is a rather large shortage of premises. At the disposal of my department - we are 24 people - and two other editorial offices of magazines are one large room and two small ones. That is, not all employees have a desktop. And this situation is common, everyone is like that. Even our department may not be in the worst position. And if another part of the premises is taken away from us - according to estimates, this is somewhere between 1/8-1/10 of the area - the situation will be even worse.

Professor Mikhail FEIGELMAN, Deputy Director of the Institute of Theoretical Physics named after V.I. L.D. Landau RAS, which is asked to vacate the premises with a total area of ​​136.6 sq. m:

— Our institute has its official territory (very small) in Chernogolovka. At the same time, more than half of the employees live in Moscow. It is clear that every day people do not travel from Moscow to Chernogolovka. Especially theorists. Especially under the existing traffic conditions in Moscow. And these several rooms on Leninsky are the place where seminars and lectures for students are held. We listen to foreign scientists in the same place.

If they ask me about those five and a half rooms that we occupy there: what, do you need them all badly? Well, one can be donated, it will be unprincipled. But they're going to take everything from us. “Optimize” is for those who have no other living space at all. And we have it, but it is located 70 kilometers away.

We have no idea how to get out of this situation. We found out about her on Monday evening. And by no means from the official distribution of the Academy.

We do not have any complex equipment that would be difficult to move. It just means that people lose the opportunity to work at work for most of the week. Well, you can work from home, of course. It's not murder, but it's humiliation.