A professor at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, or MGIMO, has been officially fired by the university administration.
Administrators said in a statement released on Monday that they had decided to fire professor Andrei Zubov, who came under fire earlier this month for writing an opinion piece for Vedemosti newspaper comparing Russia's annexation of Crimea to Hitler's Anschluss in 1938.
The statement said that Zubov had "knowingly and repeatedly violated" the institute's charter, and ignored multiple warnings from the administration concerning his public statements on Russian foreign policy in the wake of the Crimea crisis.
MGIMO is affiliated with the Foreign Ministry, and Zubov was warned that his views were at odds with the foreign policy of Russia. Monday's statement said the professor's "reckless and irresponsible criticism of government policy" was proving detrimental to the learning environment at the institute.
Zubov's daughter wrote on her Facebook page on March 4 that the professor had been titled, "This Has Already Happened."
The next day, on March 5, MGIMO rector Anatoly Torkunov denied the reports that Zubov had been let go and Zubov's daughter confirmed that her father would continue to work at the institute. The administration said Monday that on March 5 it gave Zubov a formal notice on the "inadmissibility" of his statements.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
