Anna Hartz
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the country’s universities and scientific institutions have fallen sharply in global rankings.
Once respected centers of learning are now run by Kremlin loyalists. Many leading scientists have left the country, frustrated by political interference. Experts say the focus has shifted from research to ideology.
Academics Flee Russia
Moscow State University, Russia’s top school, has dropped to 227th place in the latest global rankings, according to WP. Before the war, it was consistently in the top 200. St. Petersburg State University now ranks 533rd, and the Higher School of Economics is down to 824th. Another ranking, CWUR, places Moscow State at 245th, 51 places lower than in the year before the war.
Analysts say the decline is caused mainly by the mass emigration of faculty. Many leading researchers, especially in economics and science, have left the country. Academics fear accusations of “treason” or “espionage” if they maintain foreign contacts. Even routine collaborations with international colleagues can put them at risk of imprisonment.
Biologist Aleksandr Panchin adds that political loyalty has become more important than research quality. People with strong government connections, rather than scientific achievement, now run institutions. He says this is doing more damage than the brain drain itself.
Close Ties to Kremlin
A striking example is the Kurchatov Institute, one of Russia’s most important scientific centers, which handles about 10 percent of the country’s research budget. Its head, physicist Mikhail Kovalchuk, has enormous influence and close ties to the Kremlin. He promotes controversial projects, including genetic experiments and theories about a “Russian genotype.” Putin has publicly supported these ideas and banned the export of genetic material.
Kovalchuk now oversees programs in genetics and aging, working with Dr. Maria Vorontsova, Putin’s daughter. Officials say Putin believes humans could live to 150 in perfect health and is funding these experiments in search of an “elixir of youth.”
At the same time, MIFI National Research Nuclear University has added a theology department, blending ideology and religion with nuclear physics. Observers say this reflects a wider trend: Russian science is now more about political loyalty and nationalistic visions than discovery or innovation.
