In September 2025, Russian authorities detained Leonid Pshenichnov, a Ukrainian marine biologist and the technical coordinator of Ukraine’s scientific observation program under the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), in retaliation for his Antarctic marine research.
At the time of his arrest, Pshenichov, a resident of occupied Crimea, was preparing to travel to Hobart, Australia, to participate in the CCAMLR annual international meeting. As a biologist on the Commission since 1994, Pshenichov’s conservation research focused on marine wildlife populations in the Antarctic region. During the meeting, CCAMLR was scheduled to vote on several proposals for marine protected areas. Russia had blocked the proposals in recent years because of its opposition to restrictions on large-scale fishing.
Russian authorities accused Pshenichov of undermining Russia’s economic interests in krill fishing operations. According to Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia, Vasyl Myroshnychenko, the charges were directly related to Pshenichnov’s conservation research.
Scholars at Risk is concerned about the arbitrary arrest and imprisonment of a scholar in apparent retaliation for his scholarly activity—conduct which is expressly protected by international human rights instruments, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which the Russian Federation is a party. State authorities should refrain from actions intended to punish, restrict, or deter such research activities. Such actions undermine academic freedom and democratic society generally.
Sources:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10-20/ukraine-accuses-russia-of-detaining-scientist-antarctic–hobart/105912586
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/oct/26/russia-ukrainian-biologist-leonid-pshenichnov-arrest-treason-antarctic-krill-overfishing
https://thefishsite.com/articles/russia-jails-ukrainian-biologist-over-support-for-tighter-antarctic-krill-rules
https://www.gaudie.co.uk/wpress/index.php/scitech/2025/10/30/conservation-on-trial-pshenichnov-behind-bars-for-protecting-krill/
https://www.facebook.com/UAEmbassyAU/posts/1115722574056925/