“Scholarships for Russian students and Russian researchers residing in Germany on a separate basis will continue to be paid normally and will not end prematurely.” Jens Brandenburg (FDP), Secretary of State at the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), made this clear at the request of the left-wing parliamentary group in the Bundestag.
Whether the scientists’ permanent employment contract can be extended beyond the term of the project must be decided “on the basis of the applicable labor law and the relevant provisions of the right to reside”. According to the BMBF, there should be no special regulations for Russian citizens who are currently unable to return to their country.
In Russia, those who protest Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, or even describe the war as such, face heavy fines and imprisonment. Students and researchers returning from Germany are also being harassed for making critical comments.
Adjust funding program for visiting students and researchers
The federal government wants to financially accommodate Russian guests: the funding program for Russian students and Russian researchers “who no longer wants or cannot return to Russia is currently being reviewed by the federal government and adapted to the current situation,” wrote Secretary of State Brandenburg Leftman. And in response to Nicole Gohalk, a spokeswoman for education policy.
The DAAD and the German Rectors’ Conference had previously stated that the war against Ukraine had led to the suspension of academic exchanges with Russia, but that the presence of such guests by the Russians in Germany could continue.
[Wie Hochschulen sich auf die Aufnahme ukrainischer Geflüchteter vorbereiten, lesen Sie hier. Einen Artikel über Statusfragen internationaler Studierender aus der Ukraine finden Sie hier]
Nonetheless, Gohlke called on the federal government to “enable Russian students and researchers who criticize the regime and those living in Germany to face the threat of sanctions in order to maintain their position.”
It is not uncommon for these people to “raise their voices against Putin.” The federal government must offer them, as well as international and Ukrainian students who have fled, long-term accommodation security.
According to reports, Russian visiting students made an appeal to the German public in early March “There can be no rationale for this war,” it said In a letter to change.org The government of the Russian Federation “acts against the interests of Russian society and these actions are against our values and beliefs”.