Russia protest against Ukraine war: 7000 scientists turn against Putin - "total decline"

Created: 03/05/2022, 11:24 am

By: Julia Schöneseiffen

In Russia, almost 7,000 scientists are protesting against the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine.

With an open letter to Vladimir Putin, they condemned the acts of war in the strongest possible terms.

Moscow - Vladimir Putin's* war against Ukraine does not only meet with approval from the Russian population.

According to the independent monitoring group OVD-Info, more than 7,500 people have been arrested during anti-war protests since last week.

In addition to parts of the population, scientists are now also turning against Putin.

Ukraine war: Scientists turn against Putin

Almost 7,000 scientists and academics in Russia have opposed the war in Ukraine and signed an open letter to President Putin.

"We, Russian scientists and science journalists, protest in the strongest possible terms against the military invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces," read the letter, published on the news

.

"Humanistic values ​​are the foundation on which science is built," write the signatories.

They spent many years strengthening Russia's reputation as a leading center of mathematics, among other things.

The efforts were "completely frustrated," it said.

Ukraine conflict: Open letter to Putin – “total decline of our country”

The letter also referred to Russia as a "military aggressor and accordingly a rogue state" in the Ukraine conflict*.

Becoming a great scientific nation "cannot be achieved under the present conditions".

No geopolitical interest can "justify this death and bloodshed."

A war will only “lead to the total demise of our country”.

Nearly 7,000 scientists see Russia as a "rogue state" and oppose Putin's war on Ukraine.

(Iconic image) © Daniel Reinhardt / dpa

The global response to Moscow's invasion a week ago is already disrupting a number of scientific initiatives, including the International Space Station and a planned Russian-European mission to land a rover on Mars.

The International Congress of Mathematicians that Russia was supposed to host in July was also canceled because of the invasion.

The almost 7,000 signatories face fines or imprisonment for criticizing the government.

In addition to the already harsh laws against Kremlin critics, the Russian parliament is debating another bill this week that provides for even harsher penalties for criticizing the war in Ukraine.

According to the plans, there is a risk of high fines and up to 15 years in prison.

Sections of the Russian military also appear to be opposed to Putin.

According to a report, some Russian soldiers are said to be sabotaging their own vehicles.