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Generals of scientific careers

They are the power here. Who runs Russian universities?

The university in Russia is becoming more than just a place where young men are nurtured by science. Here, young men and women are recruited for war, encouraged to bear children, and indoctrinated in the spirit of patriotism—as their superiors understand it.

Who manages these incompatible processes? What challenges does the rector of the average university face? What changes is this venerable academic position undergoing—and what, in turn, is changing at Russian universities?

 NeMoscow attempted to answer these and other questions. 

Where do they come from

"Not all of today's rectors have undergone any kind of clear academic path before assuming their positions: quite a few of them are, in fact, almost random," says Evgeny Petrov, editor of T-invariant, a publication that writes about science and scientists.

According to Exploration T-invariant, more than two-thirds of currently serving rectors Top 100 Russian universities (according to RAEX) Before their appointment, they all held some academic position: vice rector, dean, department head. Most often, at the same university they now head, less often at a different one. But the remaining nearly a third are newcomers from the civil service or business.

“One of the trends of recent years is that rectors are increasingly becoming people with an administrative and business mindset rather than a scientific one,” says the editor-in-chief of the student publication. "Thunderstorm" Leonid Spirin: "For example, Lenar Safin, a former senator in the Federation Council and former Minister of Transport and Roads of the Republic of Tatarstan, was appointed rector of Kazan University in 2022. And at Novosibirsk University, the man of science, Mikhail Fedoruk, was replaced in January by Dmitry Pyshny, a former Minister of Education and Science."

In 2021, Proekt and DOXA published a joint study on the heads of the 100 best universities in Russia, according to Forbes magazine. They Found out74% of rectors, presidents, and vice-rectors are connected to the government in some way, 47% are connected to United Russia (including holding parliamentary status). Twenty-four percent have held or currently hold parliamentary positions at various levels (having run for office or participated in primaries), and 14% were previously trusted associates of Putin, Sobyanin, and Medvedev. 

If the situation has changed now, it is not difficult to guess in which direction.

Money and years

The richest rector of Russia has repeatedly recognized Vladimir Litvinenko, rector of the Saint Petersburg Mining University, received a monthly salary of almost 2 million rubles in 2024–2025. However, it's likely not his salary, although quite impressive, that landed him on the Forbes list of dollar billionaires, but his PhosAgro share package and other business assets. Litvinenko also supervised Putin's PhD dissertation, served as the head of presidential candidate Vladimir Putin's St. Petersburg campaign headquarters on multiple occasions, and was his confidant during the last election campaign.

On average, the rector of a Russian university receives about 500 thousand rubles per month (median salary i The median salary is the income level at which exactly half of workers earn more and half earn less. Unlike the average salary, which can be significantly distorted by the very high incomes of a small group of people (such as top managers), the median salary better reflects the real situation and shows how much the "typical" worker in the industry earns. ). 

According to the Labor Code, a university rector can serve for no more than three five-year terms, with the maximum age for this position being 70. The Academic Council may extend a rector's term once for another five years. But some rectors, as usual, are more equal than others. 

Until November 2019, the Russian president could extend the terms of the rectors of Moscow State University and St. Petersburg State University twice for five years. But in November, the State Duma deleted the word "twice," resetting the terms of the two universities' heads.  

Coincidentally, just a month later, Viktor Sadovnichy, the rector of Moscow State University, was scheduled to end his term. He's 87 years old now, and he's led the university for over thirty years, since 1992. Vladimir Litvinenko has almost the same length of service: he's been rector of St. Petersburg State University since 1994.

However, the according to T-invariant dataAmong the top 67 universities, heavyweights with more than 25 years in office account for only 5%. Sixty-seven percent of rectors have served in their positions for no more than nine years. The average age of a university rector is around 60.

"Patriotic spirit – both in deeds and in words on the Internet" 

On March 4, 2022, the Union of Rectors of Russian Universities published statement, calling on its members to support "our country; our army, which defends our security; and our president, who has made perhaps the most difficult decision of his life—a painful, but necessary decision." The statement was signed by the heads of more than 260 universities (the organization includes approximately 700 rectors). Many of them were soon subject to Western sanctions for their support of the war in Ukraine.

From that moment on, slow but very significant changes began to occur in the life of universities.

"I don't remember us being drawn into any quasi-political events in 2022. There was a Patriotic Education Center called 'Stalingrad,' but it had very few members—now they're working on tactical medicine and collecting humanitarian aid. We weren't forced to attend any official events," Andrei (name changed), a student at Volgograd Medical University, told NeMoskva. 

But already in 2023-2024, the university's atmosphere began to smell of something military-patriotic: 

"It didn't seem like there was much pressure on you, but you could already feel the constant presence of all these organizations that support the military. Our rector is the co-chair of the People's Front, and he seemed to become more active there. However, at first, this had little impact on student life. And the attitude of most students remained rather ironic."

Since last summer, Volgograd has been experiencing regular drone attacks and internet outages. Since the fall, a campaign to recruit MAX personnel has been underway. And in February, the university was tasked with recruiting 168 people for a contract with the Ministry of Defense, and students, like many other universities, began to actively recruit. 

At the same time, Andrei believes that the rector, Vladimir Shkarin, holds fairly moderate views, and his "military patriotism" is feigned. In his public speeches, he resorts to familiar clichés, without fanaticism—and, overall, the VolSMU leadership doesn't display any particular zeal. 

"The rectors of large universities generally maintain a public neutrality. They don't try to portray themselves as the main patriots—that's more often the case with the heads of smaller provincial universities and colleges. But there are exceptions. For example, Viktor Blazheev, rector of the Kutafin Moscow State Law University, is, in my opinion, the only one of the 'heavyweights' currently actively promoting and currying favor by recruiting students for unmanned forces. And the notorious film 'Betrayal' by Andrei Medvedev was shown in all their dorms and buildings all March," says Evgeny Petrov.

Sometimes rectors condescend to express their personal position on social media or university media, supporting students with positive views and rebuking their opponents. For example, FEFU Rector Boris Korobets intervened in the debate that erupted after university student Artem Mandritsa, who wrote a denunciation of a fellow student council member, complained to persecute. 

"I thank our students for their patriotic spirit, both in their actions and in their words online. Artyom, I unequivocally support a clear civic stance. Today, many young men from Primorye are at the front lines defending the country's security and the right of our fellow citizens to a fair life. Our task here at home is to do everything we can to build a strong state through our labor, worthy of their heroic deeds," wrote Korobets.

And the rector of Belgorod University Evgeniya Karlovskaya reported on the university's Telegram channel about how she managed to persuade a student to go to war.

"The post read: 'I'm proud to announce that our student from the Stary Oskol branch, Konstantin, has signed a contract with the unmanned aerial systems forces. This bold step confirms his readiness to serve his country,'" says Leonid Spirin. "In my opinion, this is beyond the pale." 

Dissertation writers

In 2019, the free online community "Dissernet" prepared a report Rectors of Russia, dedicated to "inappropriate borrowing," or, more simply, plagiarism in scientific papers, involving university administrators. After analyzing the administrators of 676 universities, the researchers discovered:

• 64 rectors with plagiarism in their own dissertations; 
• 32 dissertation-writing rectors (this is the name given to regular participants in defenses with signs of plagiarism); 
• 31 rectors with incorrect scientific articles; 
• 112 rectors with signs of violating academic ethics standards – one in five.

Of course, over the past seven years, many rectors have left their posts for various reasons. But the top-ranked plagiarist—Igor Maksimtsev, Rector of the St. Petersburg State University of Economics, Doctor of Economics, and author of over 160 scientific and educational works—remains in office. As do his fellow anti-rating members Yulia Antokhina (St. Petersburg State University of Aerospace Instrumentation), Mikhail Astapov (Kuban State University), and several others.

Is it easy to be a rector?

Rectors found themselves in a difficult position not only as educators of youth, forced to engage in patriotic events and other activities uncharacteristic of their profession, but also as representatives of science: for so many years, they had been pressed to achieve results in international rankings and publish internationally, when suddenly the tide had shifted, and now their own sovereign science is held in high esteem, one that must be protected from the machinations of the West.

"They labored to create this international activity, churning out megatons of pseudoscientific product and shoveling it into various trashy journals. But 2022 arrived, and with it, a new set of rules," says Evgeny Petrov. "And yet, they haven't formally lifted the KPIs for international competitiveness, which is why there's so much confusion. And there's the danger that you could be deemed ineffective at any moment, and your career could be ruined." 

And that's not the worst of it. According to Exploration T-invariant: from 2012 to 2025, 97 criminal cases were brought against Russian rectors. Most often, they were accused of economic crimes: manipulation of salaries, property, etc.

 "Investigative bodies at some point discovered that universities can always be found to be a source of economic crime. They hadn't previously looked into it, but now, through trial and error, they've discovered that if you look hard enough, you can always find what you're looking for, and they've become a regular fixture in the Ministry of Education's domain." — the publication quotes sociologist of science Mikhail Sokolov. 

Of course, this doesn't mean that all the rectors involved in criminal cases suffered innocently. It's simply that for their large salaries and considerable administrative power, they must pay the constant risk of criminal prosecution.

However, they are not alone in this.