St. Petersburg closes political science department at a private university because of "extremism"
Kyiv • UNN
At a private European university in St. Petersburg, known for its defense of academic freedom, Russian authorities closed the political science department on charges of "extremism" following the rise of authoritarianism in Russia and the invasion of Ukraine.
A European university known for protecting academic freedom became undesirable to Putin's dictatorial regime, especially after the rise of authoritarian sentiment in Russia, so the political science department at the private university was closed due to "extremism.
He writes UNN with a reference to British intelligence data.
On June 19, the Academic Council of the private European University in St. Petersburg decided to close the Faculty of Political Science. In 2016, the university was deprived of its license due to a complaint filed by Duma deputy Vitaly Milonov against the Center for Gender Studies, which he believed could have contributed to preparations for "color revolutions.
The university appealed to President Putin, and the license was reinstated.In 2023, Russian authorities investigated activities they classified as "extremism," i.e., critical of the government. The European University, known for defending academic freedom, has become undesirable to the authorities, especially after the rise of authoritarian sentiment in Russia since Putin's reinstatement as president in 2012 and the outbreak of the war in Ukraine in 2022.
After the large-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Putin administration tightened its control over higher education institutions. It introduced a mandatory course on "the foundations of Russian statehood," fired some academics who spoke out against the war, and closed educational programs that the Kremlin considered threatening.The isolation that followed the war took its toll on Russian academia.
According to information published in vedomosti, a survey conducted by nature magazine showed that rAS has fallen in the ranking from 71st to 94th place over the past 12 months. moscow state university also lost ground, ranking 420th. At the St. Petersburg International Legal Forum held in late June, support for a conservative approach to education, criticism of foreign language learning and the need to replace "anti-state" textbooks were discussed.
Recall
As part of the propaganda project, the Kremlin plans to provide libraries in the temporarily occupied parts of Ukraine with books that report on the "historical affiliation" of the temporarily occupied Ukrainian regions with Russia.
