The Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, together with active representatives of Ukraine's research community, is conducting comprehensive work to terminate Russia's membership and that of its representatives in international scientific organizations, as well as in their auxiliary, conventional, and elective bodies. To achieve this goal, a special working group was established in 2024 to counter the spread of Russian propaganda and to stop the cooperation of international organizations with the Russian academic community. Leading Ukrainian experts in this field were included in the group.
Since 2023, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine has developed a directive recommendation for higher education institutions and research establishments to legally terminate any scientific and scientific-technical cooperation with the aggressor countries — Russia and Belarus. This initiative was also supported by key national grant providers, including the National Research Fund of Ukraine and the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.
An analysis of the Scopus and Web of Science databases conducted by the State Scientific and Technical Library of Ukraine at the end of 2024 demonstrated the effectiveness of this step, including more than a tenfold decrease in the number of joint publications by Ukrainian scientists with authors from Russia and Belarus.
Since the beginning of 2025, at the suggestion of active members of the working group, the Ministry of Education and Science has prepared and officially sent 15 requests to leading international research and educational organizations. The letters outlined documented facts of Russian universities and research institutions' participation in supporting aggression against Ukraine, spreading disinformation, and violating international law, particularly regarding the recognition of Ukraine's territorial sovereignty.
As of now, these efforts have already yielded preliminary results — more than 10 Russian organizations and universities have been removed from structures such as:
International Association of Universities (IAU),
International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE),
Association for Dental Education in Europe (ADEE),
and others.
For example, the European University Continuing Education Network (EUCEN) not only suspended the membership of the Russian Peoples' Friendship University but also expressed support for Ukraine and willingness to adapt the admission conditions for Ukrainian higher education institutions.
