Bohdan Klid: Moscow professor fired for criticizing Putin’s military action in Ukraine
Andrei Zubov, a Russian historian and political scientist, was fired from his post as professor at the Moscow State Institute of International Affairs following the publication of his article “We have seen this before” (Ėto uzhe bylo) in the daily Vedomosti.ru on March 1. In his article, Zubov compares Russian president Vladimir Putin’s decision to occupy the Crimea to Hitler’s decisions to annex Austria, Czechoslovakia’s Sudetenland, and Lithuania’s Memel in 1938–39. Addressing his fellow countrymen, Zubov warns: “We are on the brink of the complete destruction of the system of international treaties, economic chaos, and political dictatorship.” Further, he appeals: “Friends! We need to come to our senses and stop. Our politicians are dragging our people into a terrible, horrifying misadventure. Historical experience tells us that nothing good will come of this. We should not act as the Germans did in their day, lured by the promises of Goebbels and Hitler.” Read more →