In eternity mode. Galina Sidorova - about the rector under the wing of the FSB

In the magazine "New Time", where my journalistic path began, among different large and small offices, one stood out - with a black, dermatin door without identification marks. The old-timers were enlightened on the very first day: this is the abode of the head of the “first department”, in other words, a personnel officer, and in our case, the Smersh veteran also advised him not to face him. But, as it turned out, the clashes could not be avoided: in the morning he, as luck would have it, regularly walked along our narrow corridor. The tall old man with an amazingly straight back and impenetrable face stared at me and regularly scribbled the memorandum of the main: Sidorov, they say, was again late for five minutes. And I could not come to terms that I had no right to come to the editor a little later, when all the work began in the afternoon and dragged on until late. But nothing could be done, we all then reaped the costs of the Andropov struggle for "discipline". But at lunch, our “overseer” locked himself behind his dermatin door and, as aware of the informed senior comrades, was dozing on the black leather sofa from the times of Felix Dzerzhinsky for at least two hours. Well, then we gave up the soul, in every possible way a variety of violations of this very discipline. From the principle.

At the end of the Soviet era, all this resembled the game, some kind of echo of history, rather ridiculous than terrible. Soon other times have come. Behind the black door, the person who was not ill with the journalistic gatherings of the personnel officer with an assistant to Valyusha settled behind the black door. Unless the illustrious sofa, from which it was strongly impossible to get rid of due to cumbersome, remained there until the last, gloomy reminder of the times sunk in the summer. At least then it seemed to us that they had sunk. But, as it turns out, not only some particularly persistent pieces of furniture are not subject to time.

"The university cannot function when the police department and their own branch of the state security service are located in his heart." Security officials "open the door to the office appointed by the" security forces "by the rector. A year after year, students, graduates and teachers of Moscow State University become defendants in absurd criminal cases. ... The system of total control, incentives of the knock and general suspicion kill the creative creative. The atmosphere for scientific research, ” - such a characteristic of Putin’s times was given by the signatures of an open letter for the return of the election of the rector and autonomy of Moscow University, students, graduate students, teachers and graduates of Moscow State University. And this, of course, is not only about Moscow State University, but, unfortunately, about most Russian universities. Return "Zamov on Security", a strict regime of entering universities, the abolition of the elections of rectors, emasculation of "non -poatriotic" courses from training programs, the introduction of unified textbooks launched "from above" standards. And what is autonomy and independence, when scientists are trying to limit even in freedom of travel and communicating with foreign colleagues!

It is hard to imagine that in the Putin Chekist state, where honest elections are canceled in principle, someone will suddenly allow someone to choose in a single free university

All over the world, universities are shelters of freedom, independent thought, islands of disobedience, energy boils and splashes out here, which ultimately moves society forward. Student performances in France of the late 1960s, in the USA in the early 1970s, changed the world in South Korea of the 1980s. And it is not known how the student Hong Kong will surprise us. The movement that began in the last couple of years in Russian society could not bypass the most vivid and susceptible to changes his segment. Youth, openness, energy, fearlessness are especially pronounced against the backdrop of decrepit power, hiding behind the Kremlin walls and backs of the Rosgvardists trained on the blood, in lies and fear of the future, which will no longer come for it.

The presidential administration has long looked at universities. At first, under the guise of reforms, they began to appoint “sales on security”, study student communities, introduce their people in them, provoke and intimidate. And with the growth of protest activity - slowly twist the nuts. Even such a relative stronghold of liberalism as the Higher School of Economics began to lose his face more and more noticeably, getting rid of the most independent and bright teachers. As for the "Moscow business", the rector of the Higher School of Economics Yaroslav Kuzminov immediately "turned on the back." On the one hand, he seemed to say that his university provides Yegor Zhukov as his student, "who" falls into a difficult life situation and seeking to prove his innocence in court. " But he immediately made a reservation: "The leadership does not support Zhukov’s political activity." The rector of Moscow State University Viktor Sadovnichy, as a wise dad, called on the guys "to be careful" and "most importantly - to study." And the rector of the Russian State University Alexander Bezoborodov, without hesitation, rushed to the "enemies of the regime", threatening to expel students "lit up" in the field of civil activity. It is not otherwise hoped to get his pass to eternity. He did not take into account, however, that Putin has only two daughters (at least officially), and Medvedev has one favorite teacher (which is known), and he already heads St. Petersburg State University.

In addition to adjusting the university life to the Putin's “eternal values” and twisting of the nuts, it is naturally necessary, in order to trust them to tighten them. Deputies of the State Duma hastily made an amendment to the law regarding two experienced "twisters". The 80-year-old Sadovnichy, the rector of Moscow State University with 27 years of experience, recently become an academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, twice Putin’s confidant, will remain in a military post for life. His younger St. Petersburg colleague Nikolai Kropachev (in addition to the rectorship, one of the founders of the Russian Historical Society, a member of the United Russia party and a member of the Council for Science and Education under the President of Russia, the very favorite teacher of Medvedev) also received eternal rector life. Even despite the loud protests of the university community, which Kropachev incurred himself in 2010 and 2014, when his colleagues accused him of usurpation of the authorities and persecution of employees. “The motto of St. Petersburg State University Hic Tuta Perennat (“ You are free ”here) is forgotten,” said one of the speakers at the rally . The Kremlin response "flew" in the form of orders "for merits to the Fatherland." Sadniychy, of course, has more good grounds for "lifelong". Still, not every professor is brought to lead the course, and then the dissertation of the president’s daughter!

I won’t be surprised if we will soon hear about the decisions for life to leave for rector of other Russian universities. If, of course, they will correspond to the expectations that the regional authorities and, most importantly, the Kremlin power - regarding the education of the right students and maintain an exemplary Ordnings in the institutions entrusted to them. Power can even “drop some odious figure from the board, going towards the wishes of the workers. But the authorities will never agree that a certain figure be elected to the post of rector besides her will or her participation. In general, it is difficult to imagine that in the Putin Chekist state, where honest elections are canceled in principle, someone will suddenly allow someone to choose in a single free university. So students who do not agree to live in this "regime of eternity" or at the same time "eternal regime" are waiting for difficult, truly stormy and interesting times. Moreover, history kindly offers so many cognitive examples.

Galina Sidorova - Moscow journalist

Opinions expressed under the heading "Law" may not reflect the point of view of the editorial office