Serhiy Kozmenko

Institute of Market Problems, University of Social Sciences, Lodz, Poland; 

Sumy National Agrarian University,

Ukraine

kozmenko.uabs@gmail.com

ORCID 0000-0001-7710-4842

Sanctions on Russian academia: Are they efficient?

Anna Vorontsova

Department of International Economic Relations,

Sumy State University,

Ukraine

a.vorontsova@uabs.sumdu.edu.ua

ORCID 0000-0003-0603-3869

Liudmyla Ostapenko

LLC “Consulting Publishing Company “Business Perspectives”,

Ukraine

head@businessperspectives.org

ORCID 0000-0001-9953-4771

Alex Plastun

Sumy State University, 

Ukraine

o.plastun@biem.sumdu.edu.ua

ORCID 0000-0001-8208-7135

Viacheslav Plastun

American University, Kyiv, 

Ukraine

plastun.v@gmail.com

ORCID 0000-0002-8371-9592

Abstract. After more than three years of full-scale war in Ukraine, which started in February 2022, there is an absence of global consensus among academicians and organizations involved in academic activity on the efficiency of sanctions on Russian academia. This paper aims to examine the effectiveness of various sanctions imposed on Russian academia in response to Russia’s unprovoked aggression against Ukraine. By analyzing data on the dynamics of scientific research dissemination through publications, the effectiveness of sanctions was examined using the Scopus database, its built-in tools, and SciVal, over the period 2013–2024, covering the pre-war, hybrid war, and full-scale invasion stages. The analysis revealed a significant (double-digit) decline across key metrics of publication activity affiliated with the Russian Federation. This includes actual and projected numbers of publications and citations, output of conference papers, as well as shifts in publication activity by subject area, institution, and international collaboration, particularly with main partner countries and regions. Results highlighted Russian academia isolation, lack of resources, and a decrease in international collaboration, research projects, and grant financing. These findings provide justification for increasing sanction pressure on Russian academia.

Received: June, 2024

1st Revision: March, 2025

Accepted: June, 2025

DOI: 10.14254/2071-8330.2025/18-2/14

JEL Classification: D74, D80, D89, H56

Keywords: sanctions, academia, research collaboration, publications, Scopus, academic integrity