I find it hard to attribute the sad state of the academic freedom in academia (as in, none at all) to anything to do with Russia. It was dead long before Putin

I find it hard to attribute the sad state of the academic freedom in academia (as in, none at all) to anything to do with Russia. It was dead long before Putin decided to mess with Ukraine for the first time. Right now censorship is just being deployed for a newly fashionable cause, but before that it was dozens of other causes, and no doubt once Putin finds his ignoble end, it will find dozens of new causes to pursue.