Alexander Sergeev, the current president of the Russian Academy of Sciences, withdrew his candidacy for a second term a day before the election because of the administrative pressures he faced for speaking out. The 67-year-old laser physicist, who was widely expected to win, declined to explain his withdrawal in more detail, but said it was a forced decision. Gennady Krasnikov, the leader of Mikron, won the election.
Michael Gordin, who studies the history of Russian science at Princeton University, said that the disruption shows how state interference continues to weaken the once-powerful academy. Robert Moser, who studies Russian politics at the University of Texas, Austin, agrees that keeping competitive candidates off the ballot is part of the Russian state's plan to ensure favorable election outcomes.
There was an attempt to organize an election boycott. A small group of people were willing to go ahead with a secret ballot for Krasnikov and Markovich, who are not well known outside the region. Krasnikov won by a large amount of votes.
The incumbent president withdrew from the election on the opening day. The difference is that back then everyone withdrew and elections were postponed. Sergeev was the winner six months later. Ivantchik said the door was left open for the preferred candidate.
The chief designer of missiles at the Moscow Institute of Thermal Technology threw his support behind Krasnikov because of what he said were unfortunate signals that Sergeev didn't have the support of the country's leadership Sergeev had received the endorsement of Solomonov. Putin put Krasnikov in charge of electronics as a national technological priority after Russia's annexation of the Crimean Peninsula.
Markovich talked about issues that don't get a lot of attention in Russian science. The scientist was wrongly charged with treason, and he used his final speech to shine a light on it. Several dozen scientists have been charged with treason since 2000 and have been jailed.
The election chaos will be a blow to RAS according to a science policy researcher. Gordin notes that the academy has always been paid for by the state. In the turbulent 1990s it had gained unprecedented influence over the nation's research budgets, which Putin reversed in a change stripping the RAS of most of its control over research institute. Gordin says that it is now a shadow of its former self.
The academy should be brought back into high-level decisions about science funding and policy according to Krasnikov. The academy called for a bigger role for itself in the "operational management" of science in its annual report. The government will ignore the calls because there are enough managers in science. Russia's R&D budgets have remained stagnant at 1% of GDP, well below the average for developed countries.
Sanctions against Russia have been triggered by the invasion of Ukraine. The scientific community has been splintered by it. Markovich wished for peace just 2 days after public antiwar displays led to the detention of more than 1400 street protesters across Russia, with some reportedly drafted into the war effort on the spot.
Krasnikov blamed the technological constraints on Russian science on Western sanctions. Sergeev is expected to be relieved of his duties and Krasnikov will be confirmed in the coming days.
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