Война закончится, наука выживет, а стыд останется. Ответ радиоастронома Леонида Гурвица на обращение Российского Союза Ректоров, опубликованный в журнале Nature. 7 апреля журнал Nature в разделе Correspondence поместил письмо Леонида Гурвица, московского радиоастронома, уже много лет работающего в Объединённом институте JIVE (радиоинтерферометрии со сверхдлинной базой) в Двингелоо (Голландия). Проф.Гурвиц - мой друг ещё со времён аспирантуры в ИКИ АН СССР в 80-х годах. Я полностью разделяю его позицию, выраженную в этом письме.
Russian scientists’ complicity: shame will remain
Among the many victims of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s barbaric invasion is science in Ukraine, Russia and elsewhere. As in the 1930s and 1940s, researchers in the aggressor country face a moral dilemma: to support the war and become pariahs among their global peers, or to oppose it and face persecution at home. Scientists bear special responsibility for making the right choice, having the tools and skills to distinguish between information and propaganda, and to stay fully informed.
Numerous Russian scientists should be given credit for expressing their anti-war positions loud and clear. More than 8,000 Russian and Russian-speaking scientists have signed an open letter condemning Putin’s actions (see go.nature.com/3ucbcvv). Some signatories might be at risk of prosecution for taking such a stand.
Sadly, there are examples to the contrary. Many scientific and higher-education organizations in Russia issued servile pro-war statements, such as one from the Russian Union of Rectors (see go.nature.com/3jsawwn). Another example is a letter from the Lebedev Physical Institute in Moscow, articulating “unconditional support” for the “special military operation” and inviting staff to add their signatures (see go.nature.com/3jtbv7j).
One day, the war will be over. Science will survive. The shame of such complicity will remain forever.
Leonid Gurvits
Joint Institute for VLBI,
European Research Infrastructure Consortium (JIVE),
Dwingeloo, the Netherlands.
lgurvits@jive.eu
40 | Nature | Vol 604 | 7 April 2022