Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which we condemn in the harshest possible terms, continues to wreak carnage in Ukraine. Representing a community of scholars, the PONARS Eurasia Executive Committee is appalled that some in the global academic community have supported the invasion and use their scholarly positions to justify it, including a long list of leading Russian university rectors in a vile and servile public statement.
Let us be crystal clear. It is heinous for scholars (like anyone else) to support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and/or its continuation. Doing so is no less than to endorse the killing of thousands of people across Ukraine and potentially many more, including fellow scholars and their families and friends, whose communities are now under deadly siege. Scholars who publicly support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have no place in respectable academic society and should be treated by the world accordingly.
Adopted March 11, 2022, by the PONARS Eurasia Executive Committee (Henry Hale, Marlene Laruelle, Irina Busygina, Polina Sinovets, David Szakonyi, and Anar Valiyev).
