Russian Academy of Sciences No Longer Exists

From Lenta Ru, Moscow

On Thursday, September 7, 2006 at a closed part of the meeting of the Russian Government, a law was passed unanimously on the "Question of Education and Sciences" which now the Academy was privatized and it is on its own, not supported by the state.

Together with this decision, the Putin government renamed the Academy of Sciences to- Ministry of Education, thus leaving the former Russian Academy on its own as far as financing is concerned.

The President of this Ministry of Education will not be elected as was the head of the Russian Academy of Sciences, but appointed personally by President Putin himself. Autonomy of this new Academy is now liquidated. The present Putin government now decides as to what professors or academics will be allowed to be part of this new Ministry and who will be replaced.