The Times reported that orders in Russia obliged scientists to give notice five days before meetings with their foreign colleagues and to report on what was discussed under rules that critics say resemble Soviet restrictions.
She explained that these measures were taken by the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education, and that it obliges Russian researchers to include the passports of all who attend the meetings, provided that there are at least two Russians present at these meetings.
The new rules seem to have surprised the Kremlin. President Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for President Vladimir Putin, has called them too radical.
Alexander Fradkov of the Russian Institute of Sciences of the Academy of Sciences in Mechanical Engineering wrote publicly to the Minister of Science and Higher Education Mikhail Kotokov, asking him to abolish these measures, saying it would hinder scientific contacts with foreign colleagues and damage Russia's scientific and technical development.
Science journalist Irina Yakutenko said Russia should not repeat its Soviet past, where researchers were struggling to maintain contact with their foreign colleagues whom the state considered enemies, adding that science was not a nationality but a result of joint endeavors.
Peskov said such measures appeared excessive despite the need to monitor spies, and told reporters that there is a need for certain vigilance because foreign intelligence does not fall asleep and industrial espionage continues, but this does not mean adherence to rules from which nothing good comes from.
The ministry said the rules were merely "recommendations" and were in line with international practice.