Candidates of Demobilization Sciences – Newspaper Kommersant No. 200 (7401) dated 10/27/2022

The State Duma Committee on Science and Higher Education asks to exempt scientists and teachers with academic degrees from mobilization – the deputies sent such a bill to the government. An important condition is that the main place of work of such a beneficiary should be a state university or research institute. The Ministry of Education and Science previously assured that universities and scientific organizations “work out with the military registration and enlistment offices, in working order, issues on granting deferrals for their employees.”

The State Duma Committee on Science and Higher Education sent amendments to the federal law “On mobilization training and mobilization” to the government. The deputy’s bill (Kommersant has it) exempts from mobilization citizens who have academic degrees and workers at the same time in scientific or educational organizations. “So far we are only talking about candidates and doctors of sciences who work in universities and research institutes on a full-time basis at their main place of work. And these are state organizations, first of all, ”Alexander Mazhuga, first deputy chairman of the committee, explained to Kommersant. When asked by Kommersant whether the profile Ministry of Education and Science supports the initiative of the deputies, Mr. Mazhuga answered this way: “All departments that are involved in regulation in the field of education and science are interested in having employees of organizations with a degree engaged in science.”

Recall that partial mobilization has been announced in Russia since September 21. A few days later, the President signed a decree on the postponement for full-time and part-time students. On October 5, students of non-state universities and graduate students received a similar deferment. Since the end of September, many officials and public activists have come up with initiatives to provide deferrals for other categories of citizens related to education. Thus, the Ministry of Education sent a petition to the government for a deferment from mobilization for school teachers (see Kommersant of October 16). The department is now awaiting a response from the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff. The trade union “University Solidarity” came up with the initiative to give a deferral for university teachers. In turn, members of the academic “July 1 Club” insist on the need for a delay for doctors and candidates of sciences; a similar proposal was made by the newly elected president of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Gennady Krasnikov.

MSU rector Viktor Sadovnichy has already stated that “candidate teachers, doctors of sciences are not subject to mobilization,” but there are known cases of mobilization of the technical staff of the university. The rectors of two other metropolitan universities, on the rights of anonymity, told Kommersant that their teachers do not fall under mobilization – and “the military registration and enlistment offices agree with this.” However, on what basis teachers receive preferences, the rectors found it difficult to say. The website of the parliament states that the deputies reported to the Deputy Head of the Ministry of Education and Science Dmitry Afanasyev about cases of conscription of citizens who have academic degrees and work in scientific and educational organizations: this issue remains.

The Ministry of Education and Science has previously expressed to Kommersant its position on whether university teachers fall under the criteria for partial mobilization. The department claimed that universities and scientific organizations “work out, in working order, with the military registration and enlistment offices, questions on granting a deferment from mobilization for their employees.” “Regulatory documents on the procedure for issuing a deferment from military service for mobilization are marked “for official use,” therefore, they cannot be presented in open sources,” Kommersant was told in the department. “These documents are enough to book an absolute most of its employees, including the teaching staff”.

Alexei Shashkin, professor at the St. Petersburg State University of Communications, points out that many scientists are now engaged in research and development in private companies. “They are also involved in the real sector of the economy and constitute the intellectual potential of the country,” he says. “b”) several tens of thousands throughout the country. But if we lose such potential, we can get irreparable problems.” We add that today an open letter was sent to the government, the Federation Council, the State Duma, the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Education and Science and other departments demanding that people with academic degrees be granted a deferment, regardless of their place of employment. The appeal was signed by more than 700 scientists and teachers.

Anna Vasilyeva