Kathrine Frich
Russian scientists are being urged to think twice before accepting invitations abroad.
New guidance from Moscow points to growing caution over where researchers travel and who they work with.
The move comes as diplomatic strains deepen and academic exchanges face closer scrutiny.
Travel under scrutiny
Russia’s Ministry of Science and Education has instructed universities and research institutions to avoid foreign trips unless their relevance is carefully assessed, according to Euronews Italia.
The guidance advises against academic travel without prior evaluation by institutions.
Vedomosti reported, citing academic sources, that the directive focuses on countries Moscow classifies as “hostile” because of their support for sanctions.
These include the European Union, the United States, Canada, South Korea, Japan and Singapore.
The ministry’s message reflects a broader effort to monitor researchers’ contacts with Western institutions.
Invitations checked
In a statement signed by Deputy Minister Konstantin Mogilevsky, the ministry said invitations from foreign organizations will be reviewed to determine whether scientific missions are politicized.
Several federal universities had already suspended research trips planned for spring 2026 even before the guidance was formally issued, according to the same sources.
From 2024, institutions such as Moscow State University and the Higher School of Economics reportedly began redirecting researchers toward Asia and the Middle East, including Turkey, Iran and Saudi Arabia.
Vedomosti noted that this shift has not always matched the academic interests of those involved.
Sensitive fields targeted
The restrictions appear to weigh most heavily on disciplines viewed as sensitive from a security perspective.
At the same time, researchers in the humanities have continued to collaborate with European colleagues and publish joint work, the newspaper reported.
The uneven impact has fueled debate within Russia’s academic community about the future of international cooperation.
Some scholars argue that limiting mobility risks isolating Russian science at a time when global collaboration remains central to research.
The Butiaghin case
The new approach to academic travel follows the arrest of Russian archaeologist Aleksandr Butyagin in Poland in December 2025.
Ukrainian authorities accuse him of carrying out unauthorized excavations in Crimea, territory annexed by Russia in 2014.
Kyiv says post-annexation excavations damaged cultural heritage and lacked approval from Ukrainian institutions.
Poland detained Butyagin, and courts confirmed that extradition to Ukraine is legally possible.
Moscow condemned the arrest as politically motivated, recalled Poland’s ambassador and insisted Crimea is Russian territory.
Sources: Euronews Italia, Vedomosti, Digi24.
