Royal Society of Chemistry statement on the invasion of Ukraine
Since the invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces we have unequivocally condemned the war, and we continue to offer our heartfelt sympathy and support to all those affected.
This war still presents an ongoing threat to the lives of Ukrainian scientists and the future of Ukrainian science. It has resulted in the isolation of the Russian research community. This war has had tragic consequences for human life and jeopardises both countries’ contributions to the global scientific collaboration and innovation that leads to a better world for us all.
Supporting Ukrainian science
→ Find out more about Research4Life access for Ukraine
In partnership with the WHO, FAO, UNEP and WIPO we are proud to grant Research4Life access to our journals content to the Ukrainian scientific community. Registration is free and allows both on- and off-campus access.
→ Find out more about the Chemists’ Community Fund
Impartial guidance. Helpful connections. Support you can count on. Our Chemists' Community Fund provides access to advice, information and financial assistance for you and your family in difficult situations.
Our staff teams continue to reach out to members of our community in Ukraine and to make available the full range of support from our Chemists’ Community Fund to RSC members, wherever they work, study or live. We encourage RSC members to get in touch if they or their families are directly affected by conflict.
A significant moment in the conflict came with the unprecedented statement by the Russian Union of Rectors, which set out the nationalistic expectations being put on Russian academia to serve the Russian state and its interests. In response to this statement and to international sanctions, we paused activities where we reach out or give a platform to Russian institutions.
This meant pausing engagement with institutes in Russia, for example preventing access to RSC journals content and books, and stopping all sales and marketing activities. This pause to our activities continues one year on.
We remain committed to the ideals of science and scholarship as a global community. Our actions are not targeted to Russian academics, but rather at Russian state organisations. This is why – as a way of maintaining some ties in hope of a better future – we continue to assess and publish manuscripts from authors in Russia in the independent way set out in the widely accepted and adopted COPE guidelines.
Our Board of Trustees and our executive team, led by Helen Pain, CEO, continue to keep the situation under review.
We will keep this page updated with our latest position, including details of the support we can offer to members of our community and any further action the Royal Society of Chemistry may need to take.
European Chemical Society
We also expressed support for our European Chemical Society executive board colleagues in calling for a peaceful resolution to the invasion of Ukraine.
Multi-publisher statement
We are aligned with the multi-publisher statement in response to the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
