Translated material
"The subject for idiots." What is the adviser to Shoigu at a prestigious university
A scandal is flared up at the Moscow Physics and Technical Institute (MIPT)
In one of the most prestigious Russian universities, the Moscow Physics and Technical Institute (MIPT), a scandal is flared up. Students and teachers are outraged by the fact that as an author of the new course about the " processes in the international community " to them in early April invited the famous conspiracy and the ideologist of the war in Ukraine Andrei Ilnitsky, adviser to the Minister of Defense of Russia Sergey Shoigu.
In Fiztekh, where they are engaged in accurate sciences, the lecturer for the first time has been ascended to the department, who proclaims that the modern West is “arranged according to the covenants of George Orwell,” and the “world government” controls everyone in the world.
The Rector of the MFTI Dmitry Livanov , representing Ilnitsky in the first lesson, said that he was called to the university to "form a holistic picture of the worldview." Students have a different opinion: after listening to his first presentation in the walls of Fiztekh, they called him obscurantist and are now discussing how to make the first lesson the latter.
Who is Andrey Ilnitsky
A native of Lviv (Ukraine) and a graduate of MIPTI Ilnitsky in the early 2000s worked in Open Russia Mikhail Khodorkovsky, where he was the deputy head of the directorate of external relations. Then, from the opposition, he became a statesman. Since 2006, Ilnitsky began to make a career in United Russia and rose in it to a member of the General Council of the party. In 2015, a year after the annexation of Crimea and the outbreak of war in eastern Ukraine, he became an adviser to the Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu. And a year before a full -scale invasion of Ukraine, the term "mental war" invented. It, Ilnitsky believes, is, of course, the West leads to Russia in order to "destroy self -awareness, changes in the mental - the civilizational basis of the enemy society." “If manpower and infrastructure can be restored, then it is impossible to turn back the course of evolution of consciousness, especially since the consequences of this“ mental ”war are not immediately manifested, but only through a generation, when something is simply impossible to do,” says Ilnitsky.
He is a supporter of the theory of a worldwide conspiracy and Covid dissident. Ilnitsky called the disease "a platform for the desevenization of Russia and China", and the head of the World Health Organization Tedros Goebreesus - " chief operator from Deep State under the project of covid pandemia." The sources of the Medusa publication called Ilnitsky among those who proposed the letter Z as a symbol of a full -scale invasion of Ukraine.
In February 2024, on the second anniversary of a full -scale war, Ilnitsky spoke in the "parliamentary newspaper" with "the author’s concept for ensuring mental security." He offers it to “provide it” by the power of weapons: it is necessary, the adviser to Shoigu writes, “to break the will of the West to armed against Russia <...>, to break his centuries -old will to capture and destroy Russian civilization <...>, to rely on God and become a fortress of the world.”
I am convinced that in order to defeat the West, we must get out of the values imposed by him in our heads, that is, to win mentally - other victories will follow this victory. “We need to correct your head, otherwise in it - chaos; For the devil, the father of all mess ” - the truth of St. John of Kronstadsky Pic.twitter.com/exl03ai2NZ
- Andrey Ilnitsky / Unofficial blog / (@amicableru) April 9, 2024
It was in order to tell about this “last battle”, Ilnitsky on April 3 and came to programmers, mathematicians and physicists. The university itself announced that it was the launch of the new seminar "Actual Strategies", which was developed by Ilnitsky specifically for the MIPT. In the announcement for students, Fizteh said that the purpose of the course is to introduce students "to the proposed point of view on various processes that take place in the international community, where our country and its national interests begin to play an increasingly active role."
As a result, embarrassment came out, because students took the seminar exclusively as an occasion for jokes and memes.
" Mental sovereignty " for laughter to physicists
From the presentation of Ilnitsky (Radio Liberty got acquainted with its slides, which are published in student chats), those present learned about the special insidiousness of the West. Of course, Ilnitsky said, the West - "a civilizational enemy and intends to eliminate the problem of Russia until 2030." But this is not enough: according to the adviser Shoigu, Europe and America are not limited only to plans to seize Russian territory, destroy the population and critical infrastructure of the country.
It turns out that the West sets a larger task - "to change consciousness and behavior, to force to abandon culture and freedom." The slides shown by Ilnitsky claimed: for the enemy, the “subordination of the mental sphere” is a hundred times more important than the seizure of the territory, so the goal of Europe and America is to change what they believe, what they dream of, what “Russian citizens are striving for. The listing of insidious Western intrigues was not without "personalized biological weapons", which, as the adviser to the Ministry of Defense found out, can kill only certain people.
Young people who came to Fizteh for the exact sciences learned that on the other side of the borders of Russia they bear plans to create “chaos, undermining of sovereignty” in the country, as well as put “history, traditions, values, beliefs, ideology”. And in a special risk zone, Ilnitsky explained, four main vulnerable groups - youth (too inexperienced), pensioners (according to the lecturer, the most manipulated), state employees (because they are completely dependent on the state), as well as military personnel and security forces (it is important for the enemy to pull them to their side).
I hope that of us if anyone grows up, then only the Sakharovs
Judging by the conversations of Radio Freedom with students and their chats, the special fun of the listeners caused Ilnitsky’s statement that the West was undermining Russian science and at the same time destroying its own. In Europe and America, the lecturer broadcast, "degradation, distortion and diplomation of scientific knowledge, discredit, weakening and personnel exhaustion of national scientific schools and directions."
The recipe that Ilnitsky proposed to physicists and mathematicians: it is necessary to create and protect "mental sovereignty". And he suggested that they "set up your light brains in another way" to understand: "It is time when physicists need to become philosophers." To this, one of the opposition students responded in the social networks of Fiztekh as follows: "I hope that if anyone grows up, then only the Sakharovs."
" Physicists joke "
The university community did not show any interest in the new seminar, since it was not included in the number of courses that are mandatory for visiting, the three students of Fiztech told Radio Freedom on conditions of anonymity. "Those who saw the announcement said:“ God, what horror, what kind of trash? Why such anti -scientific game in the MIPT in general? ”Said one of them. This is not even an attempt to science, but“ just an endless, incessant stream of words ”, the other university student in social networks reacted.
“This is all the complete absurdity, especially with us. There are no conspiracy and conspiracy lovers in the physics. Therefore, only a few dozen people came there. As I understood, those who came, decided to just see: whether this actually exists? Because earlier about such conspiracy,” our interlocutor said. “The attitude is negative, sharply mocking,” the third remarked.
Radio Liberty studied the social networks of university students and came to the conclusion: the Seminar of the Advisor Shoigu became an inexhaustible source of jokes. For example, Ilnitsky immediately admitted in his speech: "The honor of them (university administration) and praise, by the way, that they go to such risks [that is, hold meetings with students]." “Indeed, to talk with Fiztekh students about the“ civilization of the Russian world ”after the publication of the results of the PEC 338 is very risky. They can throw cockroaches and rats from hostels,” the university student comments, referring to the results of voting in recent presidential elections. In the MIFT, Vladimir Putin received 41%, and Vladislav Davankov from the New People party, which was considered by many as a protest candidate "from lack of better" - 35%.
One of the students at the presentation of Ilnitsky noted: on the slide it was written that "the enemy number one democracy in the United States is autocracy." His fellow practitioners commented on this: "It seems that fakes about the structure of the state in Russia."
“In the MIPT there was always an object for idiots. In my time it was the history of the CPSU,” said one of the scientists who found still Soviet times.
Where to find rotten tomatoes?
When Ilnitsky completed his performance, one of those present asked him: "Do you really think that you will be seriously perceived? You have threw sources and facts of completely different levels." And now students are discussing in social networks, which could force the rector of Livanov, who had not previously been seen in such obscurantism, to arrange a "seminar in conspiracy". "How many automatic burst were sent to the ICTI administration, what threats should she put up to invite such a person to the institute and allow him to communicate with students?" - one of the commentators asked a question.
In MFTi there was always an object for idiots. In my time it was the history of the CPSU
At the same time, MFTi has a reputation for a university with an opposition and anti -war community. More than 2.5 thousand of his students and graduates in March 2022, a week after the start of a full -scale invasion, signed a letter condemning the war. And not just signed - they called to condemn the invasion of Ukraine and other Russian universities. Of course, the leadership of the institute did not support the appeal. But it is curious that the rector Livanov at the same time, in March 2022, signed a letter from the rector in support of the aggression, but later his surname from the list of the signed disappeared . In the MIPT, this is interpreted as the desire of the leadership of a prestigious university not to leave a spot on the reputation of the physical education and try to "slip between the streams."
“Something tells me that Livanov is not ready to paint himself from head to toe the letter Z, he has a more human position, he tries to maneuver. He, of course, will never tell anyone, but he will resist the letter Z on the facade to the last,” one of our interlocutors said at the university.
Now students are actively discussing whether it is possible to do something so that such "obscurantist lessons" are no longer held at this university. The range of sentences is the most diverse. Some are sarcastically asked in social networks: "You can get rotten tomatoes in the Russian Federation?" Other members of the university community think about writing a petition or an open letter demanding not to let Ilnitsky on the threshold of the MIPT.
“Students can only sympathize, and the leadership of the institute needs to take measures,” wrote one of the indignant in social networks. “From now on, I would not want to see a person who, in a serious environment, is trying to talk about the“ information war ”with the design of slides with the quotes of the Orwell Ministry of Truth (“ Freedom is slavery ”,“ War is the world ”),” another expresses his position.
Freedom surveyed Radio said that they have not yet made the decision to create a petition. They have the hope that the rector, having seen the intensity of discontent, will refuse a new course. "If they start to catch up with the turnout, they will demand a certain, it will be possible to complain somewhere and there is no feeling of binding," one of our interlocutors said.
“We still think whether it is necessary to resist, or you just need to ignore it, and everything will be resolved by itself. If 20 people have come to the first lecture, then five will come to the second, and no one will appear for the third,” another student said. “The trouble is that for the reputation of the university, all this is a negative thing,” one of our interlocutors laments.
The plank is reduced
Today, the trouble of higher education is not so much in the appearance of odious personalities at the university departments, but in the fact that the Plane of the permissible is reduced, the editor -in -chief of the student publication “Thunderstorm” Leonid Spirin said Radio Liberty. In his opinion, before people, such as the former rector of the University of Ryazan, Igor Murog (a military man in the past, he took students to the “excursion” to the Publishing point of the Ministry of Defense, teachers were dismissed with him, and a petition to collect 1,400 signatures) or Andrei Ilnitsky, they simply could not get positions or access to teaching. And now they can.
“The system, in general, is degrading. They dismiss normal teachers, because they, for example, are against the war with Ukraine. And you have to take someone in their place? Well, here a man seems to give a lecture, writes books,-well, there is no one else, the outflow of brains from the country is quite serious, even the specialized minister says,” Spirin says. In the capitals, the choice of teachers still remained, and in the regions the opposite is true: "There are no personnel: either to take idiots in return for the disloyal or nobody."
They said to go to such a couple - and you go, they said to go to the polls - and you come
At the same time, students can hardly be very harmful to such lessons of conspiracyology - they have free access to information and the ability to work with it. According to Spirin, a different goal is set here, and this is how Russian state propaganda works: she seeks not so much to convince as to sow chaos in their heads. She offers people at once a lot of explanations and versions to confuse and inspire the idea that "everything is not so unambiguous, we will not recognize the truth."
In addition, this kind of seminars develop a habit of formalizing actions: the teacher in the classroom does not tell anything useful, on the contrary, says quite harmful things. “But the teacher has power. Therefore, you must formally go, formally take exams. Further, this element of formality is implemented in other areas: now just go formally to the polls and report on it. This is the same mechanism. They said - and you do it: they said to go to such a couple - and you go, they said to go to the polls,” says Spirin.
In the student environment of those who are dissatisfied with what is happening in Russia, more than in Russian society in general, and especially concerns metropolitan universities, says the editor of the thunderstorms. Such students may try to achieve a teacher, write a letter, collect signatures and take them to the dean. But if you take, for example, regional universities, then, as Spirin says, there are about two -thirds of students will take a consistent position: "Well, we go to these couples, what to do."
The invitation of the adviser Shoigu to Fizteh, at the request of Radio, Freedom was commented on by Timur Tukhvatullin , lawyer of the human rights project for Lightning students:
- The university has the right to invite publicists and other figures with lectures that are not related to education. But only if the content of the speech does not violate the law. Educational activity cannot be used for political agitation, inciting social, racial, national or religious rash and the spread of other "extreme" beliefs. Apparently, signs of violation of this rule were present during the lecture of Ilnitsky.
It is important to remember that measures that do not relate to the development of the educational program are optional for visiting - no one has the right to force students to participate in them, all the more threatened by sanctions.
Students and teachers have few tools to completely cancel such lectures at the university. It makes sense to organize the collection of signatures within the university and contact the media to attract attention to the problem: the more resonance will be, the more likely it is that such events will be canceled. But we do not know about successful cases of the confrontation of wire propaganda at the university, ”said the representative of the human rights project.