Support The Moscow Times!

Professor Fired for Anti-Annexation Op-Ed Taking Case to Court

Andrei Zubov, a former professor at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, or MGIMO, who was fired  Monday for his criticisms of Russia's actions in Ukraine, has taken his case to court.

Zubov will challenge the wording of his dismissal, which characterized his firing as a response to the "immoral conduct of an employee of a pedagogical institution," the professor told RIA Novosti on Tuesday.

He said that this type of dismissal will bar him from finding work at another institution, adding that the documents for the case have already been prepared.

On Monday the administration of MGIMO announced that it had terminated Zubov's employment for repeated violations of the university's code of conduct and criticizing the official positions of the Russian Foreign Ministry, which the university is affiliated with.

Earlier this month Zubov had said he was fired for writing an op-ed in the newspaper Vedomosti in which he compared Russia's annexation of Crimea to Nazi Germany's Anschluss in Austria. The day after news of the firing broke, MGIMO rector Anatoly Torkunov denied the dismissal.

School administrators said Monday that Zubov's statements were "causing outrage" and proving detrimental to the institution's learning environment.

After the news of his firing earlier this month, Zubov was reportedly offered a position at Kiev's Taras Shevchenko National University.


… we have a small favor to ask.

As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government. This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken. But we need your help to continue our critical mission.

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 you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism. Thank you.

Continue

Read more