Russian Professor Faces Dismissal for Anti-War Article

A professor at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, or MGIMO, said Tuesday that he has been fired for writing an opinion piece comparing a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine with Nazi Germany's Anschluss with Austria in 1938. Professor Andrei Zubov's article titled "This Has Already Happened" was published by Vedomosti on Saturday, the day that the Federation Council voted to give President Vladimir Putin permission to send troops to Ukraine. Zubov wrote that such an operation would seriously damage Russian relations with Ukraine and the West and put the world on the brink of another cold war. "We need to come to our senses and stop," Zubov wrote. "Our policies will drag our people into a terrible, horrible venture. Historical experience tells us that nothing costs so much. We should not do what the Germans did in their time on the promises of Goebbels and Hitler." He implored readers to "say no to this insane and, most importantly, completely unnecessary aggression" before saying "we don't need any more blood or tears." Zubov told the internet news site slon.ru that he had received an ultimatum from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO): “I was told that I either write my own resignation or wait to be fired.” MGIMO rector, however, told journalists that Zubov had not been dismissed.

http://www.vedomosti.ru/opinion/news/23467291/andrej-zubov-eto-uzhe-bylo?full#cut (article)
http://lenta.ru/news/2014/03/05/zubov1/
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/professor-says-sacked-over-opinion-article-against-possible-ukraine-invasion/495616.html
http://www.voanews.com/content/reu-russian-professor-compares-russias-actions-to-nazi-annexation-of-austria/1864112.html

UPDATE: Zubov will not be fired
http://www.echo.msk.ru/news/1272524-echo.html