The St. Petersburg State University commission ruled that statements against the war in Ukraine violate the university code and are “incompatible with the status of a student”

The Ethics Commission of St. Petersburg State University concluded that statements against the war in Ukraine violate the university code and are “incompatible with the status of St. Petersburg State University students.” This was reported by the student publication “Lupa and Pupa”.

The commission considered the cases of ten students from the first to the fourth year, some of them had already defended their diplomas. Previously, all students spoke out against the Russian invasion of Ukraine and discussed on social networks the news about the death of student Fyodor Solomonov in the war. Later, fragments of correspondence were published in pro-government telegram channels.

The Ethics Commission decided that as a result of the discussion, the teachers “considered it appropriate to be ironic about what happened, to discredit the memory of the student [Fyodor Solomonov, who died during the special operation]” and “discredited” the Russian army. As Lupa and Pupa emphasizes, students can now be expelled from the university.

Earlier, due to similar statements, St. Petersburg State University fired Associate Professor of the Institute of History Mikhail Belousov, who wrote in a general chat that “direct and open approval of racism is disgusting.” “Belousov is far from alone in his shameful heresy. “Many university students openly mocked the death of Fyodor Solomonov,” wrote pro-government telegram channels after publishing fragments of correspondence.

The university justified Belousov’s dismissal by the fact that he violated “the moral traditions of the university and generally accepted ethical standards; his actions are incompatible with the high status of a university student and teacher.” Later, a protocol was drawn up against the man for “discrediting” the Russian army (Part 1 of Article 20.3.3 of the Administrative Code), but the court did not fine Belousov “due to the expiration of the statute of limitations.”