The University of Coimbra, the oldest in Portugal, fired the director of the Center for Russian Studies, Vladimir Pliassov, for carrying out propaganda in favor of Russian President Vladimir Putin and the invasion of Ukraine.

The dismissal was confirmed this Wednesday in a note by the University, after “verifying that the teaching activities of the Center for Russian Studies would be exceeding that scope.”

The case came to light through an opinion article by two Ukrainian activists linked to the educational center and published in the Portuguese newspaper Observador, in which they accused the University of Coimbra of being “a space for transmitting Russian imperial propaganda and the culture that created modern Russia”.

The activists denounced that Pliassov “has been (and perhaps will continue to be) the first and main representative of the Russkiy Mir Foundation in Portugal.” This entity was created by Putin in 2007 with the aim of promoting the Russian language and culture in the world.

The professor, according to the accusations, used academic articles with geographical names of Ukraine in accordance with the Russian view and pro-Russian symbols related to the invasion.

“The seriousness of the situation obliges me to do it,” said the rector of the University, Amílcar Falcão, in statements to the Portuguese radio station Radio Renascença about the dismissal. The University of Coimbra insisted that it cut all ties with the Russkiy Mir Foundation after the invasion of Ukraine.