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16_9-17

Black Shaheds will be assembled in Togliatti instead of cars

In Togliatti, in the local special economic zone (SEZ), they can build another plant for the assembly of Iranian combat drones. There is no official information about this and in words the plans are purely peaceful. The EFKO group of companies, the founder of enterprises producing drones in Tolyatti, pretends that it has nothing to do with the plant. T-invariant looks at how this big business moved from projects with GM and Volkswagen to assembling deadly machines for the war in Ukraine.
16_9-15

The supercomputer is captured by the FSB

The Russian Federation's leading specialist in supercomputer systems was first checked by the FSB “for treason”, then kept under house arrest for six months on suspicion of “financing an extremist organization”. After fruitless attempts to plant according to the proven Soviet tradition, the “fool” is used. Sergei Abramov, corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, founder of a number of innovative companies, is planned to be sent to a psychiatric hospital for three weeks on November 30 for “conducting an inpatient examination.”Because the outpatient motivation of the scientist who organizes the supercomputer forum in Pereslavl-Zalessky, even while under investigation, the FSB could not understand even after eight months.
16_9-9

Condemning the Hamas Attack on Israel and Rejecting Hate Speech: A Public Response to a Colleague

T-invariant publish open letter by Alexander Kabanov, Mescal S. Ferguson Distinguished Professor, Director, Center for Nanotechnology in Drug Delivery Chapel Hill, UNC. He writes: "The terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, shocked me deeply. I was also disappointed by the statement issued by the UNC Chapel Hill Faculty, Graduate Students, and Staff Regarding Justice in Palestine, which said, among other things, “…We believe that an understanding of such loss must be situated within the historical and political context of ongoing colonial oppression.” On November 3, 2023, I sent a brief note to about 40 UNC faculty members who had signed this statement by then..."
16_9-8

“The state is the parent who beats”, “mobilized and isolated security forces” and “Russia is like a blossoming lotus”

In Chicago, at the annual conference of the Russian-speaking American Scientific Association (RASA), sociologists who have recently been living in the United States chose for their presentations topics that can now hardly be discussed publicly while in Russia. Sergey Erofeev (Rutgers University)presented a brief overview of the most interesting presentations for T-invariant.
16_9-7

Joan of Arc from Ivanovo

In Ivanovo, under strange circumstances, Olga Nazarenko, associate professor of the department of pharmacology of the Ivanovo State Medical Academy and political activist, died from numerous injuries. The lawyer was unable to get an investigation into the causes of her death and gain access to a medical report on the causes of death, so she is going conduct your own investigation. T-invariant spoke with the lawyer of the deceased and some other local activists who knew Olga personally and mourn her death.
16_9-4

“We will have to live and work in a world where there are two wars”

In Chicago, at Northwestern University, an annual conference was held, organized by the Russian-American Association of Scientists - Russian American Science Association (RASA). Mutual support, academic solidarity, political context and political division in the scientific community - in report by Denis Cheredov.
16_9-3

And Jupiter is ours, and Europe is ours

The Special Economic Zone (SEZ) "Alabuga", which has already hit the pages of all the world's media this year with a series of high-profile scandals, this time swung at the solar system and acted as a collective Ostap Bender for all the money - namely 491 trillion rubles . Leading Russian astrophysicists responded by recalling the gravitsappa on the Yubileiny satellite (a loud anti-scientific failure of Roscosmos from 2008).
16_9-11

How does a private college operate, whose director was deprived of accreditation for his civic position?

Behind the names in the “Chronicle of the Persecution of Scientists”, which is jointly conducted by T-invariant and CISRUS, there are specific people forced to fight for their civil and academic freedoms. We decided to tell in detail who and why decides to go against government pressure in science and education. The first material focuses on the history of Novokolledzh, one of the largest colleges in Russia.How did the institution begin to work, despite the refusal of accreditation and the resignation of the director, candidate of historical sciences Sergei Chernyshov? Why do the new director Yuri Lobanov and Sergei Chernyshov himself not give up their professional and civic positions? Yulia Chernaya spoke with the former and current leaders of Novocollege - Sergei Chernyshov and Yuri Lobanov.
16_9-10

Death in avocado orchards. How volunteers searched for terrorist attack victims in Israel

The number of Israelis abducted during the terrorist attack on October 7, whose identities have been identified, has reached 210 people. However, it is not yet known how many people remain alive and how many are killed. In southern Israel, where fighting is still ongoing, small volunteer groups were searching for missing people. Zoologist Alexandra Panyutina worked in one of them. At the request of T-invariant, Alexandra tried to reconstruct the picture of the tragedy that occurred.
yakovlev-16_9

Andrei Yakovlev: “Through the FSB, HSE was transferred from the economic security service to the service for the protection of the constitutional order and the fight against terrorism”

Why did the Higher School of Economics find itself in the worst position among all the new famous universities that emerged in post-Soviet Russia? At what point did the era of solidarity with state ideology begin at the university? Was the pressure on Yaroslav Kuzminov pressure on the university itself or on the head of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, Elvira Nabiullina? What are the reasons and consequences of including the HSE on the sanctions list? Explains former vice-rector of the National Research University Higher School of Economics Andrei Yakovlev.
gamov-16_9

Andrei Zorin and Victor Chernozhukov are the new George Gamow award laureates

G.A. Gamow award, established by the Russian-American Association of Scientists (RASA-America, Russian-American Science Association) in memory of the outstanding Russian-American physicist, Professor Georgy Antonovich Gamow (1904-1968) for 2023 is awarded to Andrei Zorin, professor at the Oxford University (The United Kingdom) and Victor Chernozhukov, professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
16_9-6

How Israel itself “brought” war to itself

How do the events of October, 7 differ from the previous Israeli-Palestinian conflicts? Why was Israel unprepared for the invasion? What could happen to the hostages? A new configuration of the relations between Palestine and Israel emerges, says Dmitry Mariasis, candidate of economic sciences, specialist on the Middle East, former head of the department of the Israel study and Jewish communities at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
Chronicles 16_9

T-invariant and CISRUS launched a chronicle of violations of the rights and freedoms of scientists and teachers

Updates: Andrey Boyarshinov, Dmitry Ivanov, Valery Golubkin, Boris Kagarlitsky, Svetlana Drugoveyko-Dolzhanskaya.
Additions: Alexander Lukanin, Alexey Vorobyov.

Dismissals, fines, stigmatization, criminal cases, torture — all this awaits in Russia those who are trying to tell the truth, oppose war, protect peace, criticize the authorities or simply honestly do their academic and teaching work .
T-invariant and the CISRUS Centerwill work together to chronicle the persecution of scientists in Russia for as long as it continues. If you have witnessed or been the target of academic harassment, please contact us at [email protected].
The chronicle records violations of the rights and freedoms of scientists and teachersas citizens of the Russian Federation, as well as violations of their academic rights and freedoms by the leadership of their scientific institution.

Svetlana Drugoveyko-Dolzhanskaya


Date of incident: September 29, 2023
Type of violation: the ethics commission of St. Petersburg State University demanded dismissal
Institution: St. Petersburg State University

Summary: On September 29, 2023, a meeting of the St. Petersburg State University Ethics Commission was held. The Commission received an appeal from Vice-Rector for Legal Affairs Yu. V. Penov with a request to provide an ethical assessment of the actions and behavior of the senior teacher of the Russian Language Department S. V. Drugoveyko-Dolzhanskaya. The commission came to the conclusion “that the actions of S. V. Drugoveyko-Dolzhanskaya are incompatible with the status of a university student at St. Petersburg State University.”

Sources: Paper, Decision of the St. Petersburg State University Ethics Commission
16_9-4

Desnitsky-gate. Working on mistakes of the past and present

Is it possible to say that the USSR annexed Lithuania? Why was the contract with the emigrant professor officially terminated? What do other teachers and students of Vilnius University, as well as Andrey Desnitsky himself, think about this? T-invariant tried to understand how such issues should be resolved from the point of view of the norms of the academic community.
16_9-3

Viktor Yampolsky: “The postal address does not matter”

On October 14-15, the annual RASA conference will be held in Chicago. This year it is dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the birth of Sergei Rachmaninov. We discussed what Rachmaninov’s creative experience of emigration teaches, why his works were banned and allowed to be performed again in the USSR, and whether classical music will stand the test of time in a conversation with the honorary speaker of the conference, the conductor who performed all of Rachmaninov’s works, professor, Director of the Orchestra Northwestern University Music Biehnen School Viktor Yampolsky. Interviewed by Olga Orlova.
16_9-2

Spiderman from Yale. Essay on the biography and scientific activities of Alexander Petrunkevitch

Within the project “Creators” supported by Richard Lounsbery Foundation T-invariant together with RASA (Russian-American Science Association) continues to publish a series of biographical essays about people from Russian Empire, who made a significant contribution to world science and technology. Alexander Petrunkevitch was born in the Chernigov Governorate, but most of his life he worked at Yale University. He became especially famous for his research on arachnids.
16_9

War and everyday life: how we learn to live in the extraordinary

What can sociology tell us about war? For residents of Eastern Europe, war has ceased to be a word from textbooks and news. It invaded their homes and their destiny, it became part of their everyday life. Ariel University researcher Victor Vakhshtain gave an open lecture at the Free University about how war mixes with everyday life.T-invariant suggests reading a short version of the speech scientist.

Gleb Verdian


Date of the incident: September 7, 2023
Type of violation: conviction for treason
Institution: Astrakhan State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering

Summary: The Moscow City Court has sentenced 21-year-old student of the Astrakhan State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Gleb Verdiyan, to six years' imprisonment in a strict penal colony for treason against the state (Article 275 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). This was announced by the press service of the courts of general jurisdiction in Moscow. In addition to the prison term, Verdiyan was sentenced to a fine of 200 thousand rubles and a restriction of liberty for one year.

Sources: Current Time, Mediazona, BBC News
vysotsky-16_9

The raven who saw the dwarfs. Essay on the biography and scientific activity of Alexander Vysotsky

Within the project "Creators" supported by Richard Lounsbery Foundation T-invariant together with RASA (Russian-American Science Association) continues to publish a series of biographical essays about people from Russian Empire, who made a significant contribution to world science and technology. The essay is dedicated to astronomer Alexander Vysotsky. He had worked at the observatory of the University of Virginia. There he compiled the first catalogue of red dwarfs and experimentally confirmed the rotation of our Galaxy.

Valery Garbuzov

Date of the incident: September 1, 2023
Type of violation: Dismissal
Institution: Georgy Arbatov Institute for U.S. and Canada Studies Russian Academy of Sciences (RAN)

Summary: Russian historian and political scientist Valery Garbuzov confirmed to TASS on September 2 that he was dismissed from his post as director of the Institute for U.S. and Canada of RAN, at the initiative of the founder:" Yes, yesterday an order was signed to terminate my contract. The reason as such is not stated there, there is such an article of the employment contract - at the initiative of the founder, that's how it is formulated."

Source: TASS, "Nezavisimaya Gazeta"
guriev-text-16_9

“Putin has done so many bad things that it would be very helpful to simply reverse these decisions.” Sergei Guriev — on future reforms

What is the extent of ideologization of education in Russia? Why will it be impossible to carry out lustration in the field of education? What awaits researchers in Russia and Ukraine after the war? What are the prospects for economic reforms in Ukraine? T-invariant spoke with Sergei Guriev, Provost of Sciences Po University in Paris.

Azat Miftakhov


Date of incident: 25 August 2023
Type of violation: a criminal case on justification of terrorism was initiated
Institution: Lomonosov Moscow State University, Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics

Summary: A criminal case was opened against mathematician Azat Miftakhov, who in 2021 was sentenced to six years in a penal colony on charges of breaking a window in a United Russia office, for justifying terrorism (Article 205.2 Part 1 of the Criminal Code). On 17 August, Rosfinmonitoring added Miftakhov to the register of terrorists and extremists. At that time it was not officially reported under which article the mathematician was charged.

Sources: RTVI (Telegram channel), Mediazona

Yulia Galyamina


Date: August 25, 2023
The court declared the dismissal illegal
Institution: RANEPA

Summary: The Koptevsky District Court of Moscow partially satisfied the claim of former municipal deputy, associate professor Yulia Galyamina, who challenged her dismissal from the Russian Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA). This is stated on the court's website. In Galyamina’s telegram channel writes: “I was reinstated at RANEPA as an assistant professor. They collected 115 thousand for illegal dismissal. Of these, 10 are compensation for moral damage (we asked for 500).”

Sources: Telegram channel of Yulia Galyamina, Mediazona, court website
trutnev-16_9

«Brother» and «Mouse». The founders of the MSU Z-organization turned out to be the children of Yuri Trutnev, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation

At Moscow State University, a student organization of Z-activists is raising money for ammunition and equipment for ultranationalists fighting Ukraine, using the official support of the university's law faculty. T-invariant has found out that the founders of the association are the son and daughter of Yuri Trutnev, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation.

Boris Kagarlitsky


Date of incident: July 26, 2023
Type of violation: arrest, charge of justifying terrorism, fine
Institution: Moscow Higher School of Social and Economic Sciences (Shaninka)

Summary: July 26, 2023 The Syktyvkar City Court arrested sociologist and political scientist Boris Kagarlitsky (recognized as a foreign agent in the Russian Federation in 2018) for two months on charges of calls for terrorism. On September 21, 2023, by decision of the Syktyvkar court, the deadline was extended until November 24, 2023. On September 26, 2023, the Savyolovsky Court of Moscow fined Boris Kagarlitsky (included in the list of terrorists and extremists) 40 thousand rubles for not identifying a foreign agent in his publications.

Sources: Gazeta.ru, TASS from September 21, 2023, TASS from September 26, 2023.

Alina Olekhnovich, Ivan Trofimov

Date of incident: July 26, 2023
Type of violation: house arrest
Institution: Higher School of Economics

Summary: The Basmanny District Court of Moscow placed 22-year-old Ivan Trofimov and 21-year-old Alina Olekhnovich under house arrest until September 24 in the case of participation in the activities of an extremist organization. Trofimova and Olekhnovich are students of the National Research University Higher School of Economics, according to the university’s website, both are studying in the field of “cinema and video art” at the Department of Contemporary Art. Propagandist Vladimir Solovyov wrote about the detention of young people in his Telegram channel.

Source: Mediazona

Mikhail Lobanov

Date of incident: July 7, 2023
Type of violation: dismissal
Institution: Moscow State University

Summary: On June 23, the Ministry of Justice recognized candidate of physical and mathematical sciences Mikhail Lobanov as a foreign agent, which technically prohibits him from teaching. Lobanov writes: “I saw a photo of the order dismissing me from the position of associate professor of mechanics and mathematics at Moscow State University. The order is dated July 7, issued and signed on behalf of the acting. Rector of Moscow State University by Vice-Rector Andrei Fedyanin.”

Source: RBC

Center of Historical Memory

Date of incident: July 4, 2023
Type of violation: violation of autonomy
Institution: Center of Historical Memory, Perm

Summary: On July 4, the Center for Historical Memory (successor to the Perm department of the human rights research organization Memorial) was fined 300 thousand rubles in the case of “discrediting” the Russian army (Article 20.3.3 Part 1 Administrative Code). Since the decision was made in absentia, the exact reason for drawing up the protocol is currently unknown. Presumably, the reason could have been the appeal of the International Memorial on February 24 last year on the Perm Memorial website. The same domain is now used by the Center for Historical Memory.

Source: PROPERM.RU
vladimir-gelman_16_9

Mutiny P.S.: nobody is ready to defend the existing political order

Has Yevgeny Prigozhin’s march on Moscow broken the «negative equilibrium» Russia has been stuck in for the last twenty years? Vladimir Gelman, political scientist, professor at the University of Helsinki, and author of the book on «bad governance» in contemporary Russia, analyzes the consequences of the failed mutiny and possible alternative scenarios.
Прослушка16_9

Donation to «extremists» or «state treason»: FSB long «led» a major academic leader to arrest

Sergey Abramov, corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, has been under house arrest for two months now. He is accused of "financing an extremist organization." Details of the criminal case remain unpublished, but T-Invariant found out that Abramov had previously been investigated under the article of law on "state treason," and the scientist had a security clearance for state secrets.

Mikhail Belousov


Date of incident: 06/02/2023
Type of violation: dismissal
Institution: St. Petersburg State University

Summary: The management of St. Petersburg State University (SPbSU) dismissed Mikhail Belousov, associate professor at the Institute of History, for distributing materials “discrediting the conduct of a special military operation by the armed forces of the Russian Federation and insulting the memory of those killed in the line of military duty.” The decision was justified by the fact that criticism of the war “violates the moral traditions of the university and generally accepted ethical standards.”

Sources: Mediazona, Fontanka
Ракета_16_9

Hypersound silence. How scientists become the prey of the FSB

Three physicists were arrested in so called "Novosibirsk case". It wasn’t the first time. Previously, four scientists were also accused of treason in different years. All of the scientists accused in all these cases participated in the projects of the seventh framework program of the European Union "TransHyBerian" (coordinator — Von Karman Institute of Hydrodynamics, Belgium). However, the interlocutors and sources of T-invariant suggest that the contacts of scientists with China and Iran are only an excuse, not the reason for the arrests.

Alexandra Arkhipova

Date of incident: May 26, 2023
Type of violation: declared as a foreign agent
Institution: independent researcher
Summary: The message from the Ministry of Justice says: “A.S. Arkhipova in cooperation with foreign agents took part in the production of some certain materials and participated in the distribution of these materials to an unlimited number of people. She disseminated false information about the activities of government bodies of the Russian Federation and the actions of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. She opposed the special military operation in Ukraine”.

Sources:: Interfax, FB Ivan Kurilla, E1.

© 2023 Т-инвариант / T-invariant