The decision of the Ukrainian authorities to impose sanctions against a number of scientific and cultural institutions of the Russian Federation caused bewilderment and indignation in Russia. So, the chairman of the commission of the Public Chamber of Russia on the development of public diplomacy, humanitarian cooperation and the preservation of traditional values, Elena Sutormina, in an interview with RT, expressed the opinion that such steps not only violate international standards, but also speak of the short-sightedness of the Kiev authorities.

“When Zelensky went to the polls, a certain part of the population waited and wanted to improve relations with Russia. And here, in the first place, the humanitarian sphere is important. Of course (such a decision. - RT ) is very regrettable. This is a violation of all international norms and rules, ”the channel’s interlocutor noted.

According to her, the President of Ukraine does not live up to the hopes of his own voters and continues to pursue a confrontational policy, while the world needs to establish dialogue and cooperation.

“This, unfortunately, is another unfriendly step. Despite the epidemiological situation and the fact that the world is reconsidering its relations, the decision of the Kiev authorities demonstrates the short-sightedness of Ukrainian politicians. We see that the inhabitants of Ukraine are tired of this. On the contrary, now the whole world needs cooperation, science and culture are especially important here, ”Sutormina added.

"Ideological Crusade"

Recall that Vladimir Zelensky signed a decree on the extension of sanctions imposed during the years of Petro Poroshenko’s presidency against a number of Russian companies, including television channels and radio stations, and also prolonged the decision to block Russian sites and social networks.

However, the current Ukrainian leader was not limited to this and contributed to the process of dissociation from Russia, introducing restrictions in the scientific and cultural spheres. The document signed by Zelensky for three years introduces a ban on cultural exchanges, scientific cooperation, educational and sports contacts with a number of Russian scientific and cultural institutions.

According to the decree, the execution of economic and financial obligations was suspended, assets were blocked, licenses and other permits were canceled and suspended. Also, all official visits, meetings, negotiations on the conclusion of contracts and agreements were canceled. 

Among Russian organizations subject to sanctions are Moscow State University named after M.V. Lomonosov State Hermitage Museum, Russian Geographical Society All-Russian Public Organization, several departments of the Russian Academy of Sciences, A.S. State Museum of Fine Arts Pushkin, Tula State Pedagogical University named after Leo Tolstoy and a number of other scientific and educational structures.

  • Visitors in the St. George Hall of the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg
  • © Vladimir Vyatkin / RIA News

As a member of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs Sergey Tsekov noted in an interview with RT, this decision of the Ukrainian authorities continues the course set a few years ago.

“Everything is moving in the same direction - to completely isolate oneself from Russia, from the past, from a common history,” the senator noted.

According to him, the decision of Kiev to break scientific and cultural ties may be due to the fact that Russian scientific and cultural organizations consistently adhere to reliable historical truth and facts, and not those positions that would be beneficial to the modern authorities of Ukraine. According to the parliamentarian, this does not suit Kiev.

“For this, they make similar decisions. They want the citizens of Ukraine to forget their past, they all start from scratch. The greatest work to destroy our common past was done by Poroshenko. Now Zelensky and his team are on the same path, ”Tsekov explained.

In turn, State Duma deputy Ruslan Balbek, in a conversation with RT, expressed the view that the new sanctions fit into the framework of the “ideological crusade” that the Ukrainian authorities announced to the Russian world after the 2014 coup.

“As you know, science and culture are outside politics, and what is happening now is a kind of performance that should show others that Ukraine and Russia supposedly have nothing in common,” the parliamentarian said.

He noted that "in a decent society," it is impossible to boast of dubious wars "against one of the greatest museums in the world and the university, which is among the top 100 world universities.

“But we are a cultural nation and we won’t respond like the Ukrainian science, culture, people. We do not consider them alien and hostile, ”Balbek added.

  • Workshop for the manufacture of armored personnel carriers "Dozor-B" at the Lviv Armored Plant.
  • RIA News

Recall that after the coup, which resulted in the overthrow of the government of Viktor Yanukovych, Ukraine is steadily increasing the volume of anti-Russian sanctions.

In March 2014, Kiev banned the Yuzhmash enterprise from servicing Russian missile systems, and all other Ukrainian defense enterprises were prohibited from any cooperation with Russia.

In 2015, the Ukrainian authorities approved the sanctions list, which included about 400 Russians and more than 100 legal entities, including Aeroflot and Transaero carriers, as well as almost all Russian television companies.

In 2016, Russian payment systems and popular Internet services, including Yandex and VKontakte, were banned. 

In March 2019, the Ukrainian authorities introduced another package of restrictions. This time, Russian citizens who participated in the construction of the Crimean bridge fell under sanctions. Together with them, the Russians who participated in the reflection of the Ukrainian provocation in November 2018 in the Kerch Strait, as well as Russian citizens who helped to hold elections in the self-proclaimed republics of Donbass in the fall of 2018, were blacklisted.

Mastery of Political Reincarnation

By his decision to impose sanctions in the cultural sphere, Vladimir Zelensky is trying to demonstrate to Western partners that he is not striving to improve relations with Russia in any direction. So said the source RT in the office of the President of Ukraine.

“Due to this, Zelensky expects to attract financial assistance from Western partners who are disappointed in his work. In fact, he chose the course of his predecessor, Petro Poroshenko, and now emphasized this publicly. There was no other need to adopt such a decree, ”the source said.

  • Vladimir Zelensky
  • Reuters

Answering the question of who might be hit by new Ukrainian sanctions, an RT source in the Batkivshchyna party noted that the Ukrainian scientific community would be the first to suffer.

“Let's be honest: how much good scientific literature is published in Ukraine? How does the country support scientists? Yes, most of them use the data and studies that are received in Russia. I think that after such a decision, many Ukrainian scientists will decide to leave Ukraine. It seems to me that this openly short-sighted decision could have been avoided, ”the deputy said.

In turn, the president of the Center for System Analysis and Forecasting Rostislav Ishchenko believes that the presidential decree on the suspension of scientific and cultural ties in itself will have little effect on the everyday life of ordinary Ukrainians.

“The fact is that the policy of breaking ties with Russia has been going on for several years, over the previous years all the relations that have developed historically have already been cut open. Generally speaking, all this policy is negatively reflected in Ukrainian society, because of which their children are taught in schools history emasculated from ideological considerations, making them idiots. Undoubtedly, the decision of Vladimir Zelensky will negatively affect the scientific and cultural relations of Ukraine itself, but in general, the actual refusal of the Ukrainian authorities to finance science affects it even more than such restrictions, ”the source said.

At the same time, the head of the Ukrainian Analytical Center, Alexander Okhrimenko, in a conversation with RT stated that even Peter Poroshenko, who positioned himself as an ardent opponent of Russia, did not reach the imposition of sanctions against universities and museums. According to the expert, when Zelensky went into politics, he made it clear to the electorate that he would be the opposite of Poroshenko. However, in reality, the new president not only continues, but even exacerbates the anti-Russian policy of his predecessor.

“What’s interesting, now the initiatives of the Zelensky Party“ People’s Servant ”are often supported in the Rada by the deputies of the European Solidarity Poroshenko,” stressed Ohrimenko.

  • Petro Poroshenko
  • © Valentyn Ogirenko / Reuters

Vladimir Shapovalov, deputy director of the Institute of History and Politics of Moscow State Pedagogical University, shared similar observations with RT.

“It should be noted that in the decision to impose sanctions in the scientific and cultural sphere, Vladimir Zelensky went much further than his predecessor. At the same time Zelensky went to the polls with a completely different program - a program to normalize relations with Russia. But in practice, he takes other steps that are absurd and harmful to Ukraine, ”said the expert.

In his opinion, the reason for such a political transformation of Zelensky may be the president’s inability to control the situation in the country.

“Zelensky is trying to maneuver and shies from side to side under the influence of various political forces. The decision on recent sanctions should demonstrate Zelensky’s loyalty to the separation of Ukraine from Russia. In this sense, he is following the lead of the radical nationalist minority, ”the political scientist concluded.