Friendship is friendship, but the flags are apart – Picture of the Day – Kommersant

The Ministry of Education and Science intends to check the Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN) because of the scandal with the traditional exhibition of cultures of the students’ native countries. As in previous years, there was a stand of students from Ukraine, decorated with a large yellow and blue flag. This did not please a number of social media users who accused the RUDN leadership of lack of patriotism. However, lawyers point out that there is no ban on displaying the Ukrainian flag in Russian law.

Minister of Higher Education and Science Valery Falkov instructed to conduct an internal audit of RUDN University due to the demonstration of Ukrainian symbols within the walls of the university. This was announced to Kommersant by Deputy Head of the Department Konstantin Mogilevsky. According to him, the ministry responded to the indignation of a number of media and social media users. The audit should establish “all the circumstances of this case, including legal aspects,” Mr. Mogilevsky said. “There are places where displaying Ukrainian flags is inappropriate and harmful,” the deputy head of the Ministry of Education and Science explained. “The university, in my opinion, belongs to this category.”

This is an annual exhibition of cultures of different peoples, which is held by foreign students of RUDN University. On Monday, a video and photo of the booth of three students from Ukraine appeared on social networks and Telegram channels. Their table was adorned with a large blue and yellow flag, and a few small flags lay beside books and postcards. A number of Telegram channels considered this unacceptable in the conditions of hostilities and accused the university leadership of a lack of patriotism. In addition, some users of social networks and the media raised the issue of the absence of an official community of Russian students in RUDN University – in their opinion, this indicates discrimination.

Konstantin Mogilevsky told Kommersant that the ministry had no complaints about the exhibition as such: “It presented the culture of Ukraine, a brotherly people to us until recently. Students who study at RUDN have the right to do so. And an important part of their education is to talk about the culture of their people. But the flags are a clear overkill, which is very similar to a provocation.”

The leadership of RUDN University does not comment on the situation. However, a source close to the university management said that students from eight European countries took part in the exhibition, “but only Ukrainians got photos on social networks.”

According to Kommersant’s interlocutor, the flags of Ukraine were shown in the hall of the university for only 10 minutes: “Then they approached the students and asked them to turn off. The guys took it for granted.” The interlocutor of Kommersant stressed that 150 students from Ukraine are studying at RUDN University.

student council The university said that the reaction of social networks to the Ukrainian stand causes “horror and misunderstanding.” The appeal said that the usual exhibition provoked “hundreds of disgusting comments that are nationalistic in nature and incite unnecessary hatred towards each other.” The Student Council assured that it “shares the position of the Russian Federation in matters of supporting cultural, national and ideological diversity.” And he urged to remain human, despite “any conflicts and wars.” Also, in the appeal of the Student Council, an answer was given to accusations of discrimination: “We do not need the creation of a Russian community, because even when RUDN University was founded, and now Russia has been and will be represented everywhere. We are studying in Russia, our relatives and friends are from Russia. The community will not become a second home for us, because we are already at home.”

Press Secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov said that the Kremlin will study the details of what happened at RUDN University. “In any case, now for us it is de facto mainly the flag of the very regime that supports the nationalists and with which we are now fighting, against which we are conducting a special operation,” he added.

“From the point of view of law, there are no and cannot be any complaints against the university,” says Alexandra Baeva, a lawyer for the OVD-Info human rights project (included in the register of foreign agents). then there will be complaints.

De jure, in Russia there is no separate law that prohibits the display of the flag of Ukraine, she emphasizes. However, any actions with Ukrainian symbols run the risk of falling under the laws on “discrediting” the army and “disseminating knowingly false information,” the lawyer recalls: “We have seen cases where a girl was detained for a yellow-and-blue manicure, and a young man for sneakers of these colors.” .

Anna Vasilyeva