The Ludwig von Mises School of Economics, an activity of the Swiss Chamber of Commerce in The Netherlands, condemns the Russian aggression and occupation of Ukraine in the strongest possible terms. We call on Russia’s government to stop its murder and destruction campaign and respect international law, and on European countries to welcome all people displaced by the conflict and immediately ensure their safety and well-being.
Solidarity with our friends and partners
The Ludwig von Mises School of Economics stands in solidarity with our friends and partners, the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine (NAAS) and the National Pedagogical Dragomanov University (PDU). Ніщо і ніколи не розлучить нас!
We also stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine as well as with the Russian citizens protesting against the invasion. The European and international community must work hard to take all the possible actions to put an end to the conflict and guarantee the safety of Ukrainians in- and outside of Ukraine.
Ukraine is a valued member of the research community and a strong partner of European research organisations. The Ludwig von Mises School of Economics has already taken actions to support Ukrainian researchers, including the extension of ongoing projects with Ukrainian researchers, the support for cyber defence and the hosting of and providing assistance to refugees. We have halted all collaborations with Russian research organisations.
Putin’s destruction of his own cultural heritage
Although NAAS and PDU are still undamaged, recently, Putin’s mobsters destroyed Kharkiv University. Its monumental building housed one of the major universities in Ukraine, and earlier in the Russian Empire and Soviet Union. It was founded in 1804, and is now the second-oldest university in modern-day Ukraine.
On 29 January 1805, the Decree on the Opening of the Imperial University in Kharkiv came into force. The university became the second university in the south of the Russian Empire. It was founded on the initiative of the local community with Russian Enlightenment figure and founder of the Ministry of National Education in the Russian Empire, Vasily Karazin at the fore, whose idea was supported by the nobility and the local authorities. Count Seweryn Potocki was appointed the first supervisor of the university, the first rector being the philologist and philosopher Ivan Rizhsky.
The university produced three Nobel Prize winners: Élie Metchnikoff (Medicine, 1908), Lev Landau (Physics, 1962) and Simon Kuznets (Economic Sciences, 1971). The pictures below show what Putin has done to his own cultural heritage.
Call for action
We encourage the international research community to:
- support Ukrainian researchers, including using fast-track procedures for mobility schemes, available funding instruments, or administrative support, and maintain and/or extend projects and calls involving Ukrainian scholars.
- cancel their relations with Russian research institutions.
- support the numerous Russian scientists that have the courage to openly condemn this aggression.
- increase commitments to initiatives and organisations that aim to support endangered scholars, such as Scholars at Risk.
- work to inform citizens and governments on the situation in Ukraine, the development of the conflict, and to combat disinformation efforts.
- use existing infrastructures and facilities to host and provide assistance and material support to Ukrainians fleeing the war.
Future
This unprovoked military aggression against a sovereign state in the centre of Europe reminds us of the darkest hours of another century. It is doomed to fail and the day will come when both the Ukrainian and Russian people will be free. At that moment, it will require upright people on all sides to rebuild trust and goodwill. Scientists, having nurtured a long tradition of borderless co-operation in the interest of the common good, will be key.