Canadian professor criticized for attending Russian conference

Radhika Desai, a professor at the University of Manitoba, was criticized by her colleagues for her visit to the Valdai International Discussion Club in Sochi. The event took place in early October. As in previous years, Vladimir Putin spoke at it.

The forum was first held in 2004 as a meeting place for scientists, politicians and diplomats, but since 2014 it has been perceived by many international experts as a platform for Russian propaganda. In September, Ottawa imposed sanctions against the forum for "creating and spreading disinformation and propaganda.

Radhika Desai, a professor in the Faculty of Political Studies, attended the event with her husband, and afterward she made headlines for asking Putin a question about the incident in the Canadian Parliament. Desai's colleagues from other universities in the country felt that the professor had thus played into the hands of Russian propaganda.

Thus Andres Kasekamp, chair of Estonian Studies at the University of Toronto, said that Desai's visit to Sochi could be interpreted as "an unequivocal endorsement of ongoing genocide". And Marcus Kolga, senior fellow at both the Macdonald-Laurier and CDA institutes, called Valdai "Putin-curated, Kremlin-curated propaganda-fest."

In response to the allegations, Desai said it was important for a scientist to meet such people. Canada's sanctions, however, extend to financial support for the event, which the professor and her husband did not provide. Nevertheless, the couple was questioned by border officials upon their return to the country on Oct. 9. Desai reports that they tried to pressure her. However, there is no official word on the professor's prosecution under the law.