Russia shuts university that displeased Putin

Russia shuts university that displeased Putin:

The Kremlin was yesterday accused of mounting an unprecedented attack on academic freedom after one of Russia's top universities was closed.

The European University at St Petersburg (EUSP) has been forced to suspend its teaching after officials claimed that its historic buildings were "a fire risk". On Friday a court ordered that all academic work cease, classrooms be sealed and the university's library shut.

Academics at the EUSP said the move was politically motivated — and followed a row last year over a programme funded by the European commission to improve the monitoring of Russian elections. The university accepted a three-year, £500,000 EU grant to run a project advising Russia's political parties on matters such as how to ensure elections are not rigged.

Last October, the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, launched a vitriolic attack on the EUSP — which has close links with universities in the UK and US — accusing it of being an agent of foreign meddling.

I hear the Russians like a strong leader.