Anatoly Golubovsky – historian, sociologist, Shaninki expert
For me, the arrest of Sergei Zuev is an absolute shock. I have known him for more than 40 years, we have known him since student days. I know everything about his intellectual, moral, ethical qualities. They never raised any doubts in me.
What happened seems to me to be the result of some strange game. This case reminds me of the cases of Serebrennikov and Malobrodsky. The brutality and inadequacy of the actions of the investigation also makes a shocking impression. I am sure that a whole army of graduates of Shaninka and the Institute of Social Sciences of the RANEPA is now concerned primarily with the fact that the preventive measure that the court should choose was not related to imprisonment, because Sergei is now not very well in health. Further, I am sure, there will be huge mass support for Sergei Eduardovich.
The Higher School of Social and Economic Sciences, which he created, which he has headed for several years, is one of the centers of the country’s intellectual life and one of the best universities in the country, which has been tormented for quite a long time, either revoking accreditation or returning it. In general, I understand that now everything is possible, but there are things that cannot be allowed. I, my colleagues and friends will do our best to resolve this situation.
Recently, I have been trying not to waste my nervous and intellectual energy figuring out who or what is behind something, but trying to solve the problem. They want to put a man with a well-known reputation and my friend in a pre-trial detention center. I don’t care who is behind this. I am interested in how to make sure that he was free. I can assume that there is an analogy with the Shaninka case and the Seventh Studio case, because the Interior Ministry is undergoing a comprehensive audit. Behind the speculations about who is behind this, we missed the opportunity that there was no case at all.
Only the open support of Sergei Zuev personally from those people with whom he is close, with whom he is friends, with whom he spent many years and worked to ensure that society develops and does not degrade – the publicity and transparency of the combined efforts of all these people can move the situation, and discussing who is behind this can only distract us from the main task. Every day of Sergei’s detention in a pre-trial detention center will be a day when society is degrading. The more such days there are, the more our society will degrade, given the role that Shaninka and the Institute of Social Sciences play in our lives.
I think there is some kind of struggle going on, somehow connected with Sberbank. Someone wants to “fill up” Gref or do something else like that. “Shaninka” came under a hot hand. Moreover, this is a source of eternal irritation, because someone works there and expresses his personal position.
Alexander Arkhangelsky – writer, publicist, Shaninki expert
I have known Zuev for many years. He is one of the best sociologists of culture in the country, the administrative heir of Theodor Shanin, and most importantly – a decent person, not about money. I am ready to vouch for him at least at the earthly court, at least at the Terrible.
It is clear that the valiant authorities did not follow “Shaninka” (where “Shaninka” – and where the Minpros, where “Shaninka” – and where Sberbank), but were looking for something to catch on in the case of Marina Rakova. Which I am not personally familiar with, but whose educational projects, first of all, the digital school of Sberbank, are wonderful and undermine the monopoly. They need a reason, they used a formal lead, a grant to the university. But that doesn’t make it any easier.
Pyotr Shchedrovitsky – methodologist, political strategist, Shaninki expert
So that everyone can understand my position: I do not believe a single word of our so-called “law enforcement” agencies. And I don’t believe whoever and how the charges were formulated in the end. I know too well how representatives of power structures “work”, seeking to achieve “confessions”, regular “stars” or simply improving statistics.
When, in general, an elderly and not very healthy person is interrogated for more than 30 hours, it is obvious to me that a specific task has been set for the performers – by any means “to eliminate” the unwanted person. Whether Sergey Eduardovich himself is such a person, or someone else – we will certainly find out very soon.
I have known Sergei Zuev for 30 years. For those who do not know: Sergey Eduardovich Zuev – Rector of the Moscow Higher School of Social and Economic Sciences, Dean of the Institute of Public Policy and Applied Humanitarian Research of the Russian Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, project manager for the development of a strategy for the country’s socio-economic development until 2025, visiting professor Manchester University, expert in international cultural and educational programs at the Council of Europe.
I will add to this that for many years Sergei Eduardovich has been selflessly engaged in teaching. He gave a start in life to hundreds, and maybe thousands of specialists in the field of social sciences, management of cultural institutions and social projects.