[vanusa]

There is no "data", let alone primary data about these things.

The authoritarian nature of the governing system in Russia makes it nearly impossible to gather such data.

Is she suggesting that there is no conflict in Donbas for the last 8 years?

That is very clearly is not what she's saying.

She didn't accept that academics can have opinions.

Opinions are one thing. Her concern seems to be with the fact that otherwise intelligent and articulate colleagues can be so naïve -- and to some extent, willingly self-deluded -- about the utter insanity their government is currently perpetrating on a neighboring country.

[xster]

> There is no "data", let alone primary data about these things. > The authoritarian nature of the governing system in Russia makes it nearly impossible to gather such data.

oh I'm just referring to her argument that academics in Russia are all brainwashed. Of course there can be data. That's the premise of this blog. That she's free to just email them and get responses back. But she was unwilling to accept that one of the responders was free to have their own opinions. If she decided that "Russian Academia" was brainwashed based on those responses, where is the data?