MSU Rector Sadovnych was awarded the title of Hero of Labor of Russia

Rector of Moscow State University named after Viktor Sadovnichy Lomonosov was recognized as the Hero of Labor of Russia on his 85th birthday, according to the presidential decree.

The title was awarded to Sadovnych for “outstanding merits in the field of science, training of highly qualified specialists and active social and political activity.”

Sadovnichy has been the head of Moscow State University since 1992. According to the general law, you cannot be a rector after 70 years, but an exception is made for the heads of Moscow State University and St. Petersburg State University: the president of Russia can re-appoint them as many times as he likes.

Sadovnichy was one of the scientific supervisors of the youngest daughter of the President of Russia, Kateryna Tikhonova. In May 2019, she defended her thesis, and in December of the same year, Putin extended Sadovnychy’s rectorship for another five years.

The publication “Proekt” noted that under Sadovnych, many systemic politicians found work at Moscow State University: including the chairman of the State Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin, and the current head of the Liberal Democratic Party, Leonid Slutsky, accused of harassment. For some of them, entire faculties were created, the quality of science and education on which raises questions, wrote “Project”.

Sadovnichy is a member of the Supreme Council of “United Russia” and was Putin’s confidant in the presidential elections in 2012, 2018 and 2024. In 2022, the Union of Rectors of Russia, headed by Sadovnichy, published a letter supporting a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. It was signed by more than 260 heads of Russian universities, including Sadovnichy.

In October 2022, the assistant to the President of Russia, Vladimir Medinsky, called the students (and in the original version, the teachers) of the Faculty of Journalism of Moscow State University “creatures” because of their liberal views. This was not followed by Sadovnychy’s comments.

In July 2023, associate professor and Moscow politician Mikhail Lobanov was fired from Moscow State University because of his “foreign agent” status. Shortly before that, Lobanov wrote that he “was given the rector’s personal request to leave of his own accord.” It was claimed that the university was given an ultimatum: “either you urgently fire Lobanov, or Moscow State University will suffer.” Then Lobanov refused to resign.

Since June 2022, Sadovnichy has been under the sanctions of Ukraine, several Ukrainian universities have left him with the title of honorary professor. “Fund to fight corruption” included Sadovnychey in the top 200 warmongers.