Officials told not to combine science and public office

The Russian president Vladimir Putin has objected to the election of civil servants to positions within the Russian Academy of Sciences.

At a meeting on 23 November, Putin said that he would consider taking action against senior government officials who had become academic members of the RAS. He asked the head of the RAS, Vladimir Fortov, to explain their appointment, given he had previously indicated it would not be appropriate.

"So they are great scientists,” Putin said, according to the Russian news agency TASS. “[In that case] I think I’ll have to give them the opportunity to do science, because, apparently, their scientific work is much more important than the performance of administrative duties.”