Vladimir Putin and his invasion of Ukraine permeates the entirety of Russian society. It is dividing friends and families and silencing its critics with legislative changes. Propaganda about the rotten West and the heroic fight against fascism attack people’s minds on a daily basis. Is there still skepticism in Russia?
Общество скептиков (the Russian Skeptics Society) is known for the wide range of skeptical topics it has covered since 2013 and for not being afraid to discuss politics and religion—from a scientific perspective, of course. However, the Skeptics Society is currently, in the words of several of its members, “frozen.” There is an online group on several social media sites, but it produces almost no new material and holds no events. This was initially a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, but now it is because it is prevented by the state apparatus itself. In March 2022, its Russian Wikipedia page was even deleted. Nevertheless, the main members of the group are in contact, and all of them hope that one day the association will be able to resume its activities.
One member of the Skeptics Society, “Eugene,” became aware of scientific skepticism about fifteen years ago. He became active in its popularization five years later and is now in charge of coordinating the activities of the Skeptics Society in his hometown. Prior to the pandemic, he gave lectures, conducted training and games, and gave interviews. Together with colleagues from the community, he organized several Skeptikons. Eugene contacted two of his colleagues for their thoughts on what life is like for skeptics in today’s Russia. Thanks to him, we now have the opportunity to look at the situation in Russia through the eyes of three members of Общество скептиков: “Vladimir,” the coordinator of the Skeptics Society who creates popular science videos about history on YouTube; “Alexander,” a young working mathematician at a scientific institute in the Urals and member of the Skeptics Society who occasionally creates popular science videos on YouTube; and Eugene himself, an entrepreneur and IT engineer.
‘Vladimir’
Of course, a skeptic in modern Russia can function somehow. You can go to work, meet with friends. But to publicly declare that you are against the war is now almost impossible. As of late, such statements are a risk. At best, you will be called a traitor. At worst, you’ll be imprisoned for discrediting, and making false claims about, the Russian army.
Every year Putin’s regime has affected life more and more. Until a few years ago, a person could do almost anything as long as he did not try to make his way in politics. But now it has become important to the state that people not only stay out of it but actively support what is happening. The country went from being an informational autocracy to a totalitarian dictatorship in a matter of months.
However, the existence of critical thinking does not depend on the political system. The problem is that freethought is a marginal movement in Russia. It is hard to talk about any support for science and critical thinking when the power in the country belongs to crazy, inhuman conspiracy theorists. There are such people in every country, but almost nowhere else do they have such power—or, as in the case of Donald Trump, the system of checks and balances prevents them from doing anything too stupid. In Russia, Putin has no deterrents. He is just a senile old man who doesn’t know how to use the internet, who knows nothing about the modern world—but who has access to nuclear arms. And then there’s his obedient police and the strongest propaganda.
I don’t think my family would be in danger if I were incarcerated. So far, in Russia, cases against relatives of critics of the government have been isolated. But still, there have been several such cases. For example, there have been criminal cases against Alexei Navalny’s brother, Lyubov Sobol’s husband, and Ivan Zhdanov’s father.
The exodus of the intelligentsia is underway, certainly. But there have been many such waves of emigration in Russian history, because the overall population has always spit on the intelligentsia. People gladly use the slogan “If you don’t like Russia, get out of the country!” because the notions of “state” and “country” are firmly bound together. If you are against Putin, then you are against the country. And if you are against the country, then you are a traitor.
As for the “exodus of the elites,” there is no such thing. In Russia, elites are usually defined as people who make decisions, such as ministers, deputies, and oligarchs. And only a few have spoken out for peace; most of them show full support for the president. They may not mean it sincerely; they do it because they are worried about their positions. Only former Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich spoke out openly. And the very next day, he was stripped of all his posts and branded a traitor to Russia. On the very first day of the war, I considered the possibility of emigrating, and today I am no longer in Russia.
The future of Russia is unclear. It is impossible to make any predictions. Now there is a breakdown of the system in which Russia has existed for the past ten years. My guess is that it will only get worse from here. Repression will intensify and the population will rapidly become poorer, but the propaganda—just like in the USSR—will tell people that “things are even worse in the West! Gay Nazis are beating up ordinary people, and the stores are empty.” The situation will only change dramatically if Putin leaves power, most likely when he simply dies of old age. I would not count on a revolution or coup d’état. And what will happen next, nobody knows.
All I can say to the readers of Skeptical Inquirer is don’t fall into the sin of collective responsibility. Putin is a dictator. He is not the embodiment of all Russians and all things Russian. He is merely a man with limitless power and the twisted mindset of an old man. There are many people in Russia who do not support the war.
‘Alexander’
How—and even if—a skeptic can work in the new Russia is not yet clear. Recently (approximately since the hiatus of Vladimir Vladimirovich’s rule), one way or another the degree of “censorship” and “banning” has been increasing. Until recently, it seemed the state was not interested in skepticism. After the adoption of the Act on Educational Activities (see sidebar), it has apparently decided to take control of this activity. And recent events (e.g., the rapid adoption of ever-stricter laws) have forced us to remain silent even when we would like to say something. We are left with the ability to offer only vague and veiled statements.
Opinions on the current situation vary depending on the generation. I think that, in general, everyone is shocked. The country’s actions are supported mainly by the older generation, but I have the feeling that they had been brainwashed with basically two statements—about Nazis in Ukraine and about the threat of nuclear weapons. The younger generation, in my opinion, is for the most part categorically against the war—and depressed. People are free to talk to each other, and they do so. But most people are only willing to argue and shout at each other. Of course, many people, including me, are considering emigrating. Unfortunately, many just don’t have the means or opportunity to do so.
‘Eugene’
People who champion critical thinking have a hard time in Russia now. The authorities are simply fighting anyone who disagrees with them. Even before the war started, the number of deaths from COVID-19 was kept secret. The news said everything was fine and advertised worthless drugs. Now it is dangerous not only to express disagreement but even to express doubt.
Contemporary Russia is a state of power structures and corruption. From opening one’s own business to holding public events, any activity is monitored by the state. I have witnessed the cancellation of several popular science lectures because their topics didn’t appeal to someone “upstairs.”
Since the days of the USSR, people in Russia are used to thinking one thing, saying another, and doing another. Therefore, it is almost impossible to guess what anyone is actually thinking. People support the ruling power out of fear, and then in the safety of their homes say they are against it. Of course critical thinking still exists in Russia, and many groups and communities in chats and meetings continue their work. If you touch on politics, economics, or any topics that are related to criticism of the current authorities, you are in danger. If I were to go to prison, my family would be in a very difficult situation; my wife works in a state organization, and she would immediately lose her job and be left without a livelihood.
That is why we are currently actively looking for emigration options. We want a better world for our children and are also very tired of the fear and the silence.
What the future of Russia will be I cannot say. It is bright in my dreams, but in reality these dark times may last for a long time, maybe ten or fifteen years.
I would like to wish for all the readers of Skeptical Inquirer that fear will never invade your homes. Cherish the freedom to think critically, study, and pass on your knowledge. And hold on to each other, because in difficult times, the most precious thing is friends.
***
We can only hope that the Russian Skeptics Society will resume its activities, that its members will once again regularly meet each other and be able to travel freely, that they will be able to continue the skeptical activism that is so badly needed in Russia—and that one dictator’s madness will soon end.
Sidebar
The Act on Educational Activities
In November 2020, Russian lawmakers warned of “the uncontrolled dissemination of scientific knowledge.” A group of lawmakers and senators, led by Andrei Klimov, chairman of the Federation Council’s Commission for the Protection of State Sovereignty, and Vasily Piskarev, chairman of the Duma Committee on Security and Anti-Corruption, submitted a draft of the Act on Educational Activities to the Duma. The authors of the document proposed that the Ministry of Education and Science be given the authority to license educational projects and that special attention be paid to cooperation between educational institutions and international organizations.
The proposal was opposed by the broad academic community. The presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences stated that the adoption of the law “will lead to the lagging behind of our country in critically important areas of science and technology.” According to cosmonautics popularizer Alexander Khokhlov, “The bill is very unspecific and leaves all initiative to the ministries. From now on everything will be regulated by regulations; they will do whatever they want.” According to bioinformatician Mikhail Gelfand, the law is so “badly written” that its consistent application is impossible, and its selective application threatens to penalize all those engaged in educational activities.
But Senator Andrei Klimov rejects all criticism of the law:
The scientific community is very broad. I, too, am a doctor of science. The concept is actually very simple—to introduce a definition of educational activity and allow the government to regulate it. ISIS is banned in Russia, and there are many structures that develop activities in a similar format, but they are not on the banned list. They also believe that they are involved in education, but we cannot stop them by direct, clear, and transparent means. This is not about university professors but about our real lives.
According to his information, he says the negative reaction to the initiative “is definitely not coming from Russia.”
Putin signed the Act in April 2021. Since then, it has been virtually impossible to hold any lectures in public institutions and buildings without a license, and podcasts, webinars, and lectures on YouTube have disappeared.