"The Great Academic War" and the Alternative Program of Russia’s Modernization
Definite circles persistently admonished the society that the Russian science is in a deplorable and it is counterproductive to invest much money in it because it has long lost its position in the world and the scholars do not want any reforms. The chief object of such attacks has always been the Russian Academy of Science as an isle of rational and free thinking in the post-Soviet period. Actually, although the state of the Academy is far from being excellent (and there is a considerable fault of the scientists themselves, especially the leaders of the RAS), on the whole it is still the most efficient social institution in the field of science.