“Check the matter”: Swiss publisher publishes texts by Putin’s daughter

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He wages war, she does science. Putin’s firstborn daughter Maria Vorontsova, 36, is a pediatric endocrinologist and professor at Moscow State University, where she was appointed dean in 2022. She regularly writes scientific articles. Her texts are published by, among others, the Swiss publisher MDPI.

As of February 24, 2023, the database of the Basel publisher MDPI contains three articles in which Vorontsova appears as a co-author. MDPI is one of the largest Open Access publishers worldwide as of 2020.

Although Vorontsova has been sanctioned in this country, as well as in the EU, Canada, Great Britain and the US, this does not mean that her publications will also be banned. MDPI employees are apparently still bothered by the publication of texts by Putin’s daughter. “It can ruin the reputation of the publisher,” said an employee who asked to remain anonymous, Russian Telegram Moyem Objasnit reported.

MDPI investigates the matter

At Blick’s request, the publisher provides an explanation. “MDPI is strictly committed to impartiality,” the publisher clarified when asked by Blick. And: “Our main focus is to ensure the scientific validity and integrity of the submitted content through strict peer review processes.” MDPI’s vision is to make research accessible to a wide audience.

“We are currently conducting internal investigations,” the publisher explains, co-authoring Maria Vorontsova. However, MDPI has no direct connection to Putin’s daughter. As far as the publisher knows so far, no money is flowing into Vorontsova’s hands, which means there is no violation of the law.

‘The business model undermines scientific integrity’

MDPI continuously publishes professional articles. The WOZ writes about this in 2021: “Last year (editor: 2020) it took an average of 35 days from submission to online publication of an article.” A pace that other publishers cannot match.

That leads to criticism. The suspicion that the pace is at the expense of care is obvious. “MDPI’s business model undermines scientific integrity,” said Jochen Markard, a researcher at ETH and ZHAW. He accused the company of making money with quantity rather than quality.

Putin’s daughters earned more than ever in the war year

As Telegram channel Moschem Obyasnit previously discovered, as of February 24, 2022, Putin’s daughters are earning more money than ever before. Vorontsova owns the Nomeko company, which specializes mainly in nuclear medicine projects.

Since Russia attacked Ukraine, Vorontsova’s company has had a turnover of 855 million rubles, or almost 9.5 million Swiss francs. And: Nomeko bought all the hospitals that treated war wounded. In the year of the war, Vorontsova’s company is said to have earned 857 million rubles (almost 8 million francs).

Source: Blick