The Russian invasion of Ukraine has unleashed worldwide condemnation of the aggression. The invasion’s impact on scientific research into COVID-19 has become a matter of concern.

In a letter organised by researchers in Russia itself and signed by more than 5,000 people, scientists strongly condemn the hostilities and say that the Russian leadership has launched an ‘unjustifiable war for the sake of its geopolitical ambitions’. The letter includes around 85 scientists who are members of the Russian Academy of Sciences, a government body that oversees much of the nation’s research.

Meanwhile a group of Germany’s largest research funders, including the German Research Foundation, has decided to freeze all scientific cooperation with Russia. Some organisations in Western nations have cut off funding and resources, ending collaborations with Russian scientists. In the United States, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in....