Politika: There are no hostile nations, only hostile leaders

St Petersburg — St Petersburg University is the oldest university in Russia. In 2024, the University celebrates three centuries since its foundation. The University has been home to many world-renowned artists and researchers, including the great chemist Dmitri Mendeleev, who created the periodic table of the elements. Nikolay Kropachev, who has been serving as Rector of St Petersburg University for the past 16 years, cordially welcomes us into his office, where the Minister of Foreign Affairs had worked during the times of Tsarist Russia. We begin our conversation by the fireplace, where, according to Nikolay Kropachev, the Tsarist Minister had received foreign guests. 

How do Western sanctions affect international cooperation and your University as a whole? 

I do not think that sanctions have been imposed against us. As a lawyer, I assure you that these are illegal restrictive measures. Sanctions that are considered legal can only be imposed by the UN Security Council. Therefore, the only answer I can give to your question is that what has been imposed on us is illegal restrictive measures, which undoubtedly also affect our University. 

The hardest part is that these restrictive measures lead to the cessation of interpersonal relationships. Many friends of the University tell us that they cannot come to visit us as they did before. They cannot publish joint scholarly papers, come to parties, or to their friends’ weddings, although they would like to. My father was captured as a Red Army volunteer and sent to a concentration camp. There, his leg was sawed off while he was still alive, without anaesthesia. My mother was a fighter and she is one of the few from her unit who survived. My grandparents survived the Siege of Leningrad and, in order to keep warm, had to burn more than a thousand books from the family library. 

The split between us and our partners is a tragedy for science and the world as a whole. Universities and research centres must be open to communicate with each other. I am afraid that global progress requires the unity of science, which is now collapsing. Science must act collectively. What is now so easily destroyed will not be restored for many, many years, I am afraid. 

For six years in a row, St Petersburg University has been the most popular university in Russia with international applicants. The number of people wishing to study at our University is growing every year. Last year, 21,000 foreign citizens from more than 140 countries applied for 1,000 government-funded places, i.e. 21 people per place. At the University, foreign citizens can also study on a fee-paying basis. We have five times more applications than we can accept for fee-paying basis from applicants from more than 80 countries. 

The front line is more than a thousand kilometres away from St Petersburg. Yet, how do military events affect the activities of your University? 

Some students and educators at our University have gone to the front. We are actively collecting aid, and recently I have discussed with colleagues how we can help from the standpoint of science and research. In our University Clinic, everyone who served in the special military operation zone and their families receive treatment free of charge. Some doctors from our Clinic have been sent to the combat zone. We are actively helping several medical institutions there. The University authorities also accepted my proposal that children of participants in the military operations could study at the faculties of our University free of charge. 

Unfortunately, our student at the Institute of History has died. His name was Fedor Solomonov. He asked for an academic leave and volunteered for military service. Fedor is a heroic example to other students on how to defend the Motherland. 

What other challenges does your University face in these turbulent times? 

Over the past two and a half years, the University website has been exposed to frequent hacker attacks, especially during exam periods and when new students are admitted. There are also difficulties with replacing certain equipment. We are trying to ensure that the equipment for scientific research is produced in Russia and in the countries that have not imposed sanctions on us. I can say that this new equipment is definitely no worse than the previous one. 

In the new circumstances of the creation of a multipolar world, our University is trying to make its contribution. For example, we have developed a new system of international arbitration courts for the BRICS members, which is significantly cheaper than the current system. We are especially proud of the international payment system DCMS, i.e. decentralised international system of interbank financial messages, developed by the University. It is an effective and secure alternative to SWIFT. I believe that in the near future, some countries will start using DCMS. We are currently engaged in developing what is relevant and important and in how to help Russia in these difficult times. 

How has the current difficult international situation affected the number of students from Serbia at the University? Has it changed compared to 2021? 

Over the past two years, we have seen growing interest in our academic programmes in your country. Of the 18 Serbian students currently studying at our University, four were admitted in 2022 and seven students were admitted in 2023. For the next academic year, we have admitted seven more Serbian students on scholarship, and this number may increase if some of your compatriots apply for fee-paying places. The admission process for fee-paying places is not yet complete. 

Perhaps, you are preparing some special benefits for Serbia and other countries that do not avoid cooperation with Russia? 

Our University offers special financial support programmes, scholarships for international students and other benefits, including for students from Serbia. The University also provides assistance measures, including health insurance. We have a number of additional scholarships for academic achievements, sports, volunteer, and project activities to name just a few. 

Today, many believe that students from the collective West should be denied the opportunity to enrol in Russian universities. I completely disagree with this opinion. There are no hostile nations, only hostile state leaders. People in Western countries often disagree with what their national leaders say. I am sure that benefits and scholarships should be earned through knowledge, hard work, and commitment to what you are doing, rather than just because you come from a certain country. 

In the park of your University, there are several monuments to statesmen and cultural figures from all over the world. Yet, I have not seen a single monument to Serbian people. Could you install a monument to the poet and bishop Petar II Petrović Njegoš, who was ordained bishop in St Petersburg in 1824? 

All decisions on the installation of monuments and memorial signs are made by the Academic Council of the University. In the courtyard of the building where the Faculty of Philology and Faculty of Asian and African Studies are located, there are monuments to many outstanding people. However, we have recently decided to stop installing new monuments in this University’s park because there are really too many of them. However, we are planning to expand the space for placing sculptures between the buildings where our students in history and philosophy study. When this space is reconstructed and ready for the installation of monuments, I am ready to present your proposal to the Council and personally support the initiative to have a monument to such a significant figure in the history of our nations as Njegoš at our University.