Dear colleagues,
We were always adhered to principle that science should be out of politics, except for 1991, when we stand unarmed protecting our Parliament from Russian (then Soviet) tanks. However, what is happening now in Ukraine is not a politics – it is crime… It is understandable that many of us believe that most of intelligent and educated Russian colleagues are not very supportive for the Putin regime and severing the ties with them will only worsen the situation. But be not mistaken, 70% of the Russians support Putin, and many of them are the fellow scientists, who are only polite enough to avoid sensitive topics in private conversations with German, French or Italian scientists (while being much more straightforward with Russian speaking colleagues from Lithuania, Latvia or Estonia). It is not a surprise for us, as we could read Russian tabloids and watch Russian TV, which are the brainwashing machine Gebbels would be proud of, instrumental in creating a parallel reality in the state Russian media. We hope that changes right now as innocent people are dying in the streets of Ukrainian cities and more Russians will start to realise the criminal deeds of their Fuhrer. We are not asking you to stop individual contacts, but denounce/suspend official collaboration with state institutes, especially ones like Shirshow Institute of Oceanology, or remote sensing and space research institutes, which have undeniable links to the Russian military or Navy. We have experienced during the last years an abrupt change in collaboration mode witch such institutes, when our staff was denied the entrance to the laboratories, even, when having common projects, Russia is not anymore country it was twenty or even ten years ago.
We also plea the support for the Ukrainian scientists, who we are ready to accommodate if the weak reaction from the West will end up in occupation of their country.
Please remember that your support of Russian science and technology could end in the increase in capacity for aggression of Putin criminal regime, not only in Ukraine, but also in the Baltic states or Poland.
Marine Research Institute of Klaipėda University