“Sanctions” from the Kurchatov Institute: they want to take away the sea base from oceanologists
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The Kurchatov Institute sent a letter to the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation with a proposal to transfer to it part of the property complex of the Institute of Oceanology in the Gelendzhik region. Oceanologists answered: “No!”
A painful issue for scientists was raised on Tuesday, February 28, at a meeting of the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Several academicians spoke about it at once: the scientific director of the IO RAS Robert Nigmatulin, the scientific director of the direction of marine ecology of the institute Mikhail Flint and others.
But let’s talk about everything in order. As follows from the appeal of the leadership of the Kurchatov Institute to the Ministry of Education and Science, the property complex of the Southern Branch of the IO RAS is desperately needed by the National Research Center “Kurchatov Institute” “to form an experimental coastal base on the territory of the Black Sea coast near the city of Gelendzhik for research and development in the interests of the defense and security of the Russian Federation” .
These are very strong words formulated in the spirit of the times. But, alas, not all the words we sometimes trace intentions. Moreover, behind the Institute of Oceanology. Shirshov RAS also assigned a lot of responsible state tasks, including those related to the State Defense Order, and it will be impossible to fulfill them without access to the sea. And the same Kurchatov Institute, by the way, has its own base in Sochi …
About what it means for oceanologists to lose their naval base, how it is generally possible to take and transfer part of the property of one institute to another with just one letter, we talked with Academician Mikhail Flint.
“Our institute is one of the few that are now under sanctions,” says Mikhail Flint. – And this, you see, already says a lot. This means that we are strengthening the power of Russia with our studies of physics, biology and geology of the seas and oceans, which, it seems, can seriously annoy potential adversaries. And right now, at such a crucial moment, they want to take away the most important department from us!
Why did Kurchatnik need Golubaya Bay on the Black Sea? According to Flint, they want to use it as a testing ground for research on corrosion processes.
“They have their own training ground in Sochi,” the academician says, “and secondly, we have long suggested to the Kurchatov Institute: “Colleagues, the ships of the Institute of Oceanology are at your service. Whether you want to explore corrosion in the Arctic or in the tropics, we’ve got you covered!” Alas, there was no answer.
Scientists believe that the letter to the ministry is a claim by the president of the Kurchatov Center, Mikhail Kovalchuk, to a tidbit of land on the Black Sea coast. By the way, the property complex of the Southern Branch of the Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences is located on the shores of the picturesque Golubaya Bay, surrounded by a pine forest, there are several scientific buildings with laboratories on the territory. This is a unique natural place for work and research.
“There is not a single scientific department in our institute that would not be connected by the circulatory system with this Southern Department,” Flint continues. “Biologists, physicists, geologists, and technicians all work alongside local employees on government assignments,” Flint explains. – In the southern branch of our institute, by decision of the government, two carbon polygons have been created. This is a unique experiment, when there is a carbon range in the sea and a second one, on land, nearby. Moreover, our marine training ground is the only one functioning in the country. In the Southern Branch there is a system of operational monitoring of the parameters of the marine environment, which has been established with great difficulty over decades, which is of tremendous defense importance – this is the “habitat” of submarines! After all, 111 highly qualified researchers work here, among them are doctors and candidates of sciences. Where should they look for work after the transfer of scientific buildings? ..
In general, the transfer of the Southern Branch to the Kurchatov Institute was considered by many to be another potential blow to our science. Has Mikhail Kovalchuk still not forgiven the insult to the academicians who did not accept him into their ranks a few years ago? But now is not the time to settle scores.
There is a very important legal point: the Southern Branch is not an independent legal entity – it is a part of the institute, which you definitely cannot transfer without the consent of the IO RAS. Scientists decided to stand to the end. RAS President Gennady Krasnikov promised to discuss this problem during a meeting with Minister of Science and Higher Education Valery Falkov.
An important detail from the history of the founding of the Southern Branch of the Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Once, Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin built two houses here on the shore and presented them to Arctic explorer Ivan Papanin and academic oceanologist Pyotr Shirshov for great scientific achievements. After some time, when in the 1940s the Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR was developing, these two truly prominent scientists donated their dachas on the shores of Golubaya Bay to the institute. Since then, the Southern branch has only flourished …
A few months ago, the leading Russian Institute of Oceanology named after Shirshov, Russian Academy of Sciences, came under US sanctions. He was recognized as one of the few scientific organizations that has great weight in strengthening the Russian state, which means that it threatens the security of the United States and Europe. But if they knew there, across the ocean, that they had prepared their own for this organization, they would have applauded standing …
Newspaper headline:
Oceanologists in the paddock
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