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From Global Citizens to the Russian World: Deputy Speaker Celebrates Her Victory over the International Baccalaureate

The push to have the International Baccalaureate (IB) designated as an “undesirable organization” was orchestrated by Anna Kuznetsova, Deputy Speaker of the State Duma (Russia’s lower house of parliament), and, likely, the family of Konstantin Malofeev and Maria Lvova-Belova. It was Kuznetsova who requested for inspections of IB schools by prosecutors and the education oversight authority Rosobrnadzor, leading to administrative cases against teachers and administrators. The “monarchist-patriotic faction” convinced the enforcement agencies that IB schools foster “global citizens” and “emphasize the protection of LGBTQ+ rights.” Within a day, most schools erased any mention of IB and submitted statements to withdraw from the organization.

“Baccalaureate Leaders Promote Non-Traditional Values,” Claims Russia’s Prosecutor General. Elite Schools’ IB Programs Coveted by Putin’s Elite Abruptly Banned

“This is a gauntlet thrown at the feet of the judiciary.” Lawyer Ekaterina Mishina on why the US President believes his words trump court rulings

Trump’s clash with the US judicial system is taking on alarming forms. On June 27, the Supreme Court (in a 6-3 decision along conservative lines) issued a ruling that drastically limits the ability of lower federal judges to block presidential executive orders nationwide. From now on, judges can only block the president’s actions in relation to specific plaintiffs. This ruling marked Trump’s first major court victory of the year. What comes next for America? T-invariant asked lawyer Ekaterina Mishina for clarification.

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PLAGIARISM NAVIGATOR

Through individual cases of international academic plagiarism, we examine the global-scale imitation of scholarly activity

CHRONICLES OF PERSECUTION OF SCIENTISTS

CREATORS

Essays on scientific activities of emigrant scientists from the Russian Empire

The Rectors’ Hot Seat. Since 2012, about one hundred university heads have faced criminal prosecution

The year 2025 isn’t over yet, but we already know of 12 instances of criminal prosecutions against rectors of Russian universities, as well as 10 sentences handed down to them. And this isn’t a record: in the last pre-war year of 2021, law enforcement took interest in 17 university leaders. This is how the process of elite turnover is unfolding in higher education, which Vladimir Putin initiated after returning to the presidential seat in 2012. T-invariant examined the stories of criminal prosecutions of rectors from 2012 to 2025 and found that leading a university is no less dangerous than serving as a deputy to a governor or minister.

Fly Me to the Moon: Why Russia’s Space Ambitions Are Stuck in Low Earth Orbit

After Donald Trump’s inauguration as president, there was talk of rebooting U.S.–Russian cooperation across many fields — space included. In Moscow, hopes were pinned on the “Luna” program, anticipating that it could be pursued jointly with the US program, ideally as a joint venture with the United States. Is there any real future for U.S.–Russian cooperation in space? And could Russia’s lunar program plausibly be its centerpiece? Vadim Lukashevich, an aerospace expert, takes stock.

The Discovery of Australia: How RSSU Conquered the Distant Continent

In previous issues of Plagiarism Navigator, we explored the journeys of Russian-language academic texts across various countries in Europe and Asia. Today’s issue tells the story of publications in Australian journals, intertwining the Zhukov-Fedyakin family clan from the Russian State Social University (RSSU), former Minister of Culture Vladimir Medinsky, former RSSU rector Natalia Pochinok, and a Kuban engineer who infiltrated Australia via a Polish journal.

“Professors have no right to drag ideological preferences into the university.” Marina Kalashnikova on the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Sciences in Montenegro

The Russian authorities, through Rosobrnadzor, are dismantling Shaninka (the Moscow School of Social and Economic Sciences, MSSES). T-invariant spoke with Marina Kalashnikova, former dean of Shaninka’s Faculty of Liberal Arts and Sciences, now leading the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Sciences in Montenegro. Was it challenging to explain the program to Montenegrins? How did the university find its place in a resort country? And why did around 40 students choose it over other European universities also teaching in English?

“Playing a Cat-and-Mouse Game with the International Community”: What Are Iran’s True Nuclear Ambitions?

The recent 12-day Iran-Israel war has reignited discussions about Iran’s nuclear program. Was it ever genuinely peaceful? How significant is Russia’s role in supporting Iran’s nuclear ambitions? Are the Iranians capable of building a bomb right now? T-invariant discussed these questions with Dmitry Kovchegin, author of a publication by the Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies on Russian-Iranian nuclear cooperation.

From Import Substitution to Sanctions Evasion: Russian Universities Launch Programs in Sanctions Compliance

Following the invasion of Ukraine, hundreds of Western brands exited Russia. Over the past three-plus years, amid official rhetoric about import substitution, a parallel logistics system has taken shape — one that keeps Russian store shelves stocked with foreign goods and supplies drones and other military equipment with critical components. As the country adapts to a long-term life under sanctions, this parallel economy demands new expertise. Russian universities and other players in the education market have ramped up the production of specialists trained in the fine art of sanctions circumvention.

“Severe Civil Disability.” The Founder of Russia’s Supercomputing Industry Remains Free, but Faces Severe Restrictions on His Rights

On July 11, the Pereslavl District Court announced the verdict for Sergei Abramov, a corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS). The court found the scientist guilty of funding extremist activities (Part 1, Article 282.3 of the Russian Criminal Code) and imposed a fine of 150,000 rubles (approximately $1,500). The charges stemmed from seven donations totaling 7,000 rubles (~$70) to the FBK (the transliterated Russian acronym for Fond Borby s Korruptsiyey — the Anti-Corruption Foundation founded by Alexey Navalny). While the legal ordeal has concluded, Abramov’s return to an active professional life remains a distant prospect. In an interview with T-invariant prior to the verdict, Sergei Abramov described how his presence on the “extremists and terrorists” list has led to what he calls, if not a “civil death,” then severe civil disability.

The De-Dekhkanization of Science: Plagiarize in Russia, Defend in Kyrgyzstan, Publish in France, Lead in Tajikistan

In a previous Plagiarism Navigator investigation, we exposed Iranian scholars who defended stolen Russian dissertations—translated into Tajik—at Tajik universities. They exploited a loophole known as “dissertation tourism,” which offers a backdoor into the global academic community: via Tajikistan and Russia’s Higher Attestation Commission (VAK). Unsurprisingly, Tajik scholars themselves have embraced this backdoor enthusiastically. With the highest number of plagiarized dissertations per capita, Tajikistan tops Dissernet’s global rankings by a wide margin. Today, we examine the career of Kobiljon Khushvakhtzoda—a former provincial accountant who climbed the ranks to become Chairman of Tajikistan’s Academy of Sciences.

The Allure of Evil, or The Enslaved Mind: An Interview with Science Historian Alexander Dmitriev

June 22, 1941, marked the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. Today, 84 years later, Ukrainian cities are again under bombardment—but now the aggressor is Russia. How has the war in Ukraine altered our understanding of that past conflict? What revelations about history does the present compel us to confront? T-invariant discussed these questions with Alexander Dmitriev, a historian and native of Kherson, now a visiting researcher at the European University Viadrina (Germany).

“In the Typically Treacherous English Manner”: How the FSB Turns Philologists into Spies for Contact with British NGOs

For Russian humanities scholars, any ties to British NGOs have shifted from toxic to criminal. T-invariant has uncovered who became the first to face administrative charges for collaborating with the Oxford Russia Fund. Through the case of a Volgograd professor, the outlet reveals how public trials of philologists—those who “sounded the alarm too late”—are now orchestrated. The story features all the hallmarks of such prosecutions: a department head’s televised repentance on a federal channel and textbooks, published with NGO support, being symbolically dumped outside the British Embassy.

Scientific Spoils: How Russian Plagiarists Appropriated Ukrainian Texts

T-invariant, co-founder of Dissernet Andrey Rostovtsev and community project coordinator Larisa Melikhova continue their “Plagiarism Navigator”. Through individual cases of international academic plagiarism, we examine the global-scale imitation of scholarly activity. The sixth installment examines how translated academic fraud became a commercialized scheme for Russian and Ukrainian scholars.

Brilliance and Poverty, Triumph and Tragedy, Rise and Fall. Sociologist of Science Mikhail Sokolov Reflects on the Fate of Social Sciences in Russia—Past and Present.

In June 2023, T-invariant published an interview with Mikhail Sokolov, a sociologist of education and science and a professor at the European University in St. Petersburg. Among other topics, the scholar suggested that the war would have little impact on the state of social sciences in Russia. Has his opinion changed two years later? What is happening to the social sciences today, and what lies ahead for them? These questions are now being discussed with Mikhail Sokolov by Sergei Erofeev, a sociologist at Rutgers University (USA) and president of RASA, the global association of Russian-speaking scholars.

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