The persecution of Russian scientists is forcing the scientific community to unite in order to protect itself from attempts at pressure from the security forces. Academicians insist that the development of science is incompatible with total control over scientists' external contacts and visits by machine gunners to academic institutes - otherwise, scientists may choose to emigrate.

On Friday, the general meeting of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) – more than 2,000 academicians and corresponding members – unanimously adopted a resolution against the actions of security forces at the Academy’s Physics Institute (FIAN). The resolution points out the inadmissibility of intimidating actions at a scientific institution: “The appearance of armed people at Russia’s leading scientific institute cannot be justified by investigative actions. Such actions have caused reputational damage to FIAN, all of Russian science, and the security forces.” RAS President Alexander Sergeev called the appeal “very correct.”

The RAS statement concerns a search related to the case of smuggling dual-use products by Trioptics, a company that rented space in the FIAN building. On October 30, FSB investigators, accompanied by masked gunmen, searched the premises of the institute and the apartment of its director, RAS Corresponding Member Nikolai Kolachevsky, and interrogated the scientist for many hours. The next day, searches were conducted at the home of Trioptics director Olga Kanorskaya; her father, optician Sergei Kanorsky, was interrogated by the Investigative Committee. On November 14, the Kanorskys, having no illusions about how events would develop in the FIAN case, left for Israel and received new citizenship.

The intimidation campaign staged at FIAN looks obviously excessive, but hardly accidental. In recent years, the security forces have become accustomed to their own impunity: they do not care about the effect of a mask show in one of the centers of world science and the possible harm to Russia's image, as well as the consequences of the visit for future research and the health of scientists.

The search is one of the manifestations of inconsistent state policy in the field of science: the government talks a lot about technological breakthroughs and at the same time suspects scientists, demanding that they report on every conversation with foreign colleagues and initiating cases of espionage. The RAS resolution is a loud question to the top officials, what is more important for them: the development of science or the right of security forces to "harass" scientists.

Physicists defended their colleagues even in the sinister 1930s and 1940s: the head of the nuclear project, Academician Yuli Khariton, got Lavrentiy Beria to stop persecuting physicist Lev Altshuller, and in the 1980s, FIAN kept the job of Academician Andrei Sakharov, who had been exiled to Gorky. Sadly, these skills are still in demand in the 21st century.

Academics vs. Security Forces