The head of the Russian Academy of Sciences Sergeev spoke about the harsh detentions of scientists: “Not with machine gunners”

“We are the intelligentsia, you can not be so tough with us”

The only issue that President of the Russian Academy of Sciences Alexander Sergeev, who is running for a new term, managed to discuss on Thursday with the voters of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences was the criminal prosecution of scientists. In this department alone, over the past five years, 13 (!) people have been prosecuted. The head of the academy made a specific proposal on how the situation could be mitigated.

The meeting was announced in advance and broadcast online. Many expected from the President of the Russian Academy of Sciences a detailed conversation about the results of his activities for five years, as well as about the new election program. However, there were no pre-election specifics.

It all started 17 minutes later than planned, then another 20 minutes Alexander Mikhailovich presented diplomas, first from the Russian Academy of Sciences, then from the SB RAS. Then he gave a speech about how good, “leading in all areas of science” is the Siberian Branch of Sciences… It lasted about a quarter of an hour, and only then Sergeev finally moved on to the topic of elections. But suddenly he began to talk not about the program, but about how right it was that the Siberians nominated their representative, Academician Dmitry Markovich, for the election.

Chairman of the SB RAS Valentin Parmon thanked Sergeev for the flattering words about the Department, and when he had only a few minutes left (the President of the Russian Academy of Sciences was in a hurry to get on the plane), he gave the audience an opportunity to ask the guest just one question.

This was done by the ex-chairman of the SB RAS, Academician Alexander Aseev, practically adding a fly in the ointment to the general atmosphere of mutual praise: “Alexander Mikhailovich, since our department is so good, great, then what is the reason for the wave of punitive operations against scientists of the Siberian Branch, its leading institutions ?

Alexander Leonidovich, apparently, had in mind a number of criminal cases, which, in his opinion and in the opinion of his colleagues, were groundlessly initiated in recent years against Siberians. Just this year Dmitry Kolker, a researcher at the Institute of Laser Physics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, was arrested on charges of treason. A severe cancer patient was taken by plane to a Moscow pre-trial detention center, after which Kolker died. Following him, on the same article, the chief researcher of the Institute of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics named after A.I. S.A. Khristianovich of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences Anatoly Maslov and his formal leader, but in fact a student, Alexander Shiplyuk. This was the first time in modern history that the director of an institute was detained on suspicion of treason.

However, Alexander Sergeev said that the employees of the SB RAS are not the only ones against whom such cases were initiated. “If a charge is brought under such and such an article, there is a clear algorithm of actions. And there is no option for scientists other than to be in a pre-trial detention center.”

But Alexander Mikhailovich has an idea about how it would be possible, if not to change the situation, then at least to mitigate it. The President of the Russian Academy of Sciences suggested creating a structure at the academy to deal with such cases: “We should talk about some analytical body that would operate in our country and be recognized by law enforcement agencies. Let’s formulate such proposals together so that there are examples of how we work and protect our scientists <...> We are the intelligentsia, it would be possible not so harshly, not necessarily with machine gunners.