Stolen Ukrainian universities: An invisible russian weapon

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This paper explores the issue of “stolen” Ukrainian universities. Over 1,500 Ukrainian educational and research organizations have been seized by Russia, including 289 higher education institutions such as universities, institutes, academies, colleges, and their branches. These institutions are now exploited to further Russia’s geopolitical agenda through propaganda, territorial annexation justification, and the assimilation of the Ukrainian population in occupied regions. The study examines this using the following examples: the perception of stolen Ukrainian universities as Russian entities by international organizations and academic communities; recognition of stolen Ukrainian intellectual property as Russian, with silent approval or facilitation, such as the registration and confirmation of stolen Ukrainian academic journals by the International ISSN Centre. The paper highlights the use of these stolen institutions’ resources as propaganda tools, their role in ideological manipulation, and their contribution to the assimilation of occupied territories. Recommendations include removing stolen universities from academic affiliations and databases, revoking ISSN registrations for stolen Ukrainian journals, and urging COPE to issue ethical guidelines for preventing collaboration with stolen universities. Additionally, it emphasizes the need for Ukrainian authorities and the academic community to engage proactively with global publishing institutions, database owners, and organizations handling publishing ethics to address these challenges. By bringing attention to this “silent war on knowledge”, the paper underscores the urgency of addressing the misuse of stolen academic institutions by Russia to uphold the integrity of global academia and international law.

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    • Figure 1. Structure of stolen institutions of higher education by type of education organization
    • Figure 2. Geographical structure of stolen institutions of higher education
    • Figure 3. A screenshot from the ISSN portal for the record 2413-1709
    • Figure 4. A screenshot from the ISSN portal for the record 2312-5330
    • Figure A1. A screenshot from the ISSN portal for the record 2413-1938 (date of access May 1, 2024)
    • Figure A2. A screenshot from the ISSN portal for the record 2413-1938 (date of access January 1, 2025)
    • Figure A3. A screenshot from Elsevier for the record 10.1016/j.yebeh.2024.110116 (date of access January 1, 2025)
    • Figure A4. A screenshot from Scopus for the record 2-s2.0-85208193276 (date of access January 1, 2025)
    • Figure A5. A screenshot from PubMed for the record 39510014 (date of access January 1, 2025)
    • Figure A6. A screenshot from ResearchGate for the record 386309749 (date of access January 1, 2025)
    • Figure B1. A screenshot from the ISSN portal for the record 2415-8720 (date of access January 1, 2025)
    • Figure B2. A screenshot from the official Springer site for the record s10958-024-07493-3 (date of access January 1, 2025)
    • Figure B3. A screenshot from the official Scopus site for the record 2-s2.0-85210511743 (date of access January 1, 2025)
    • Figure B4. A screenshot from ResearchGate for the record 379710011 (date of access January 1, 2025)
    • Figure C1. A screenshot from the ISSN portal for the record 2409-4617 (date of access January 1, 2025)
    • Figure C2. A screenshot from the official Springer site for the record S1068162024020183 (date of access January 1, 2025)
    • Figure C3. A screenshot from the official Scopus site for the record 57197825789 (date of access January 1, 2025)
    • Figure C4. A screenshot from the official Scopus site for the record 2-s2.0-85189918707 (date of access January 1, 2025)
    • Figure C5. A screenshot from the ResearchGate site for the record 379707935 (date of access January 1, 2025)
    • Figure C6. A screenshot from the ResearchGate site for the profile Victor Dotsenko (date of access January, 1, 2025)
    • Table 1. All types of educational facilities and education management authorities situated on occupied territories as of January 1, 2025
    • Table A1. Stolen Ukrainian universities and research centers used to create the Crimean Federal University
    • Conceptualization
      Alex Plastun
    • Data curation
      Alex Plastun
    • Formal Analysis
      Alex Plastun
    • Investigation
      Alex Plastun
    • Methodology
      Alex Plastun
    • Validation
      Alex Plastun
    • Writing – original draft
      Alex Plastun, Serhiy Kozmenko
    • Writing – review & editing
      Alex Plastun, Serhiy Kozmenko
    • Project administration
      Serhiy Kozmenko
    • Resources
      Serhiy Kozmenko
    • Supervision
      Serhiy Kozmenko
    • Visualization
      Serhiy Kozmenko