Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education collecting data on students and teachers who have contact with people from foreign countries

The Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education has started collecting personal data of students and teachers who participated in international scientific events in Russia and abroad in 2023, reports Telegram channel “We Can Explain”.

According to the Ministry’s letter, which was received by Russian universities, the collection of lists of participants at scientific events began in November. Employees of institutes and universities must fill out and hand over several forms containing “detailed information on the contingent of participants” by December 22. This includes the personal information of event participants, as well as information about the countries from which foreign scientists came.

At the same time, a Ministry official, who confirmed the authenticity of the document to journalists, noted that records of such events have been kept before, but not so closely. “In the past, I have had occasion to solve similar issues, but this is the first time I am faced with name-by-name lists on such a scale. I am sure that tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of people will be on these lists,” said a source of “We Can Explain”.

In his opinion, such close supervision can be explained by “spy-mania” — in recent years, at least 14 scientists have been arrested in Russia in cases of state treason, the channel notes. Ministry official also added that law enforcement agencies may need these lists, for example, to check for “inappropriate contacts” or to impose travel restrictions.