June 20, 2024

Fulbright Foreign Agents?


Fulbright Foreign Agents?
Academic freedom, sort of. The Russian Life files

In March, Russia declared that the organizations running the US Fulbright Program, a prestigious academic and cultural exchange program funded by the U.S. State Department, were "undesirable" organizations. Russians who partook in the program have been labeled "fifth column," in other words, "foreign agents."

The Russian independent news outlet T-Invariant looked into how receiving a Fulbright scholarship affected Russians at home and those still in the States.

Fulbright operated on Russian territory for half a century, following the 1972 signing by the U.S. and Soviet Union of an "Agreement on Cooperation in the Fields of Science, Technology, Education, Culture, and Other Fields." The following year, six Americans and six Soviets participated in the exchange program, which was never interrupted, even as the Cold War progressed. Before the start of the war in Ukraine, 150 Russian academics were completing Fulbrights in prestigious American universities. 

On March 7, the organizations sponsoring the program, IIE and Cultural Vistas, were declared "undesirable organizations" by the Kremlin. On that day, Foreign Service Director Sergey Naryshkin asserted that American exchange organizations were preparing Russian students to become the "fifth column." Shortly afterward, IIE suspended its program in Russia to protect Fulbrighters. Yet some 100 Russian academics are still in the United States and must return soon to Russia.

Irina Perfilova is currently at the University of Tennessee, researching paralympic sports. She was eager to return to Russia to implement what she learned abroad. But now she is at risk of being labeled a "foreign agent" upon her return, because she received funding from abroad, which would bar her from being an educator. Even though Fulbright is a scholarship, the research stipend could be considered foreign funding. Perfilova said, "But now it is enough [to receive] 'foreign influence' (...) We study here, is that 'foreign influence'?" 

A lawyer, whose name was withheld by T-Invariant, told the publication that Russian authorities can be unpredictable regarding foreign agent laws. While Fulbright alums may face no persecution, they are likely to be labeled "foreign agents." It is still unknown whether former Fulbright scholars will be fined or face arrest over their connection with IIE, an "undesirable organization."

Daniil Kirsanov, a Fulbright alum, told T-Invariant that Russian Fulbrighters have been denied employment and funding because of their participation in the program. Scholarship recipients have been advised to hide their involvement in the program. Thus far, there are no known criminal or civil cases opened against Fulbright alumni. 

Many current and former Fulbright recipients participated in activities that could put them at risk in Russia. Violetta Soboleva, a current doctoral student in educational psychology at the City University of New York, commented on Navalny's death to the American media. Perfilova was involved with the Russian LGBT community. A third, Kiril Shabalin, was reportedly repeatedly asked to cooperate with the FSB, but declined. 

A lawyer who T-Invariant consulted recommended that returning Russians delete links to "undesirable organizations" and "foreign agents" in their resumes. It is also crucial, he said, to delete American banking apps, as money transferred by U.S. institutions will be harder to trace. However, texts are surveilled, so deleting those may not suffice. Their fates could depend on what border patrol officers find after searching for each returning Fulbrighter's name online.

You Might Also Like

Where Did The Blankets Go?
  • June 13, 2024

Where Did The Blankets Go?

Nearly 200 tons of old blankets were sent to Ukraine via the Russian Post. But many have disappeared, and their recipient is elusive.
Returning Home to Kill
  • April 29, 2024

Returning Home to Kill

More than 100 persons have been killed by returning Russian soldiers since the beginning of Russia's War on Ukraine.
One Country, Two Wars
  • September 16, 2023

One Country, Two Wars

The Kremlin is currently conducting not one, but two horrific wars.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

The Little Humpbacked Horse
November 03, 2014

The Little Humpbacked Horse

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices
May 01, 2013

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.

93 Untranslatable Russian Words
December 01, 2008

93 Untranslatable Russian Words

Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas
October 01, 2013

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.

 
Steppe
July 15, 2022

Steppe

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.

Murder at the Dacha
July 01, 2013

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.

Marooned in Moscow
May 01, 2011

Marooned in Moscow

This gripping autobiography plays out against the backdrop of Russia's bloody Civil War, and was one of the first Western eyewitness accounts of life in post-revolutionary Russia. Marooned in Moscow provides a fascinating account of one woman's entry into war-torn Russia in early 1920, first-person impressions of many in the top Soviet leadership, and accounts of the author's increasingly dangerous work as a journalist and spy, to say nothing of her work on behalf of prisoners, her two arrests, and her eventual ten-month-long imprisonment, including in the infamous Lubyanka prison. It is a veritable encyclopedia of life in Russia in the early 1920s.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955