Russian science is in a state of systemic collapse, says Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service
Russian science is experiencing systemic collapse, a process that has sharply accelerated since the start of the full-scale war against Ukraine. The number of patents registered in Russia has fallen to its lowest level in more than two decades, while genuine innovation has largely been replaced by the copying of foreign technologies.
This was reported by Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SZRU).
According to intelligence data, the number of patents granted in Russia for scientific inventions and developments has dropped by 25%, reaching its lowest point since the early 2000s. At the same time, official statistics create a misleading impression of activity: in 2025, Russian companies claimed to have introduced 2,725 “advanced technologies”, yet only around 10% were genuinely new. The rest were derivative solutions long used outside Russia.
The financial model of scientific development also points to a loss of scientific sovereignty. Since the launch of the so-called “special military operation”, spending on research and development has not exceeded 1% of GDP. Meanwhile, Russia spends around 1.5% of GDP annually on importing the results of such work, and up to 2% when including know-how. In effect, the state invests more in purchasing foreign technologies than in developing its own science.
The current downturn is the result of long-term degradation. Russia’s withdrawal from the Bologna Process in 2022, along with international sanctions, has isolated its researchers from cooperation with leading global centres. Chronic underfunding and the mass emigration of specialists have further undermined the domestic research base. In response, the Kremlin introduced administrative restrictions, requiring scientists and lecturers to obtain approval before travelling to “unfriendly” countries. The list includes 49 states, among them EU and G7 countries as well as key scientific hubs in East Asia, effectively amounting to near-total international isolation.
The consequences of this policy are also reflected in global rankings. In the 2025 Leiden Ranking of scientific performance, no Russian higher education institution made it into the top 200. The highest-ranked institution, Moscow State University, placed only 227th. Over the past year it has dropped 12 positions, and since 2021 it has fallen 29 places, confirming the systemic decline of Russian academic science
