Editor’s Note: In this interview, Dr. Frances Pinter sits down with Iryna Izarova, Chair of the Ukrainian Regional Chapter of the European Association of Science Editors (EASE), and Denys Kurbatov, Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine, to discuss issues related to the violation of the rights of Ukrainian academic journals and authors since 2014, the challenges this poses to academic publishing, and measures taken to address these issues.

How do Ukrainian scientists continue their work and research amid the ongoing war, facing challenges such as displacement, resource shortages, and external pressures?

Denys Kurbatov:  Since the occupation of Ukrainian territories began in 2014, Ukrainian scholars have faced significant challenges, which have dramatically intensified following Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. Over 78 institutions of higher and professional pre-higher education were relocated to government-controlled territories, 300 completely destroyed, and 3,000 educational organizations damaged. Seventy Ukrainian scholars have been killed during the war and thousands of academics became internally displaced persons. More than 1,500 researchers joined the ranks of the defence forces to protect Ukraine.

Despite these hardships, Ukrainian science and science dissemination continues to contribute globally, developing new standards, fostering innovation, and integrating into the European academic space. Ukrainian scholars demonstrate resilience and progress even amid adversity.

One significant issue, in addition to the lack of resources, is the insufficient attention from the international community to the challenges that jeopardize academic integrity, freedom, progress, and international law as a whole. Ukrainian researchers are fighting to maintain independence, preserve knowledge, and ensure the continuation of scientific research under crisis conditions.

Recently, a group of Ukrainian researchers uncovered serious violations in the use of ISSN identifiers by journals operating in temporarily occupied territories, revealing systematic misuse of academic infrastructure and promoting narratives hostile to Ukraine.

We call on the international academic and political communities to recognize these challenges and support efforts to restore and protect Ukrainian science, ensuring our scholars’ contributions to global knowledge.

Ukrainian researchers uncovered issues related to the unauthorized appropriation of ISSN identifiers and journals in occupied territories. Could you elaborate on these findings?

Iryna Izarova: Ukrainian researchers have done invaluable work in uncovering serious violations that undermine both the integrity of academic publishing and international legal norms. The core issue is that publications in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine are unjustifiably using the ISSNs of Ukrainian journals founded by displaced Ukrainian higher education institutions or obtaining entirely new ISSNs while falsely claiming to be the legal successors of these publications.

For instance, many journals under the control of occupying authorities continue to use the ISSNs that were assigned to Ukrainian journals before the 2014 occupation of Crimea. This effectively means appropriating the identifier of a legitimate publication, which creates confusion.

Furthermore, some of these journals use Ukrainian archives of academic publications to falsely claim continuity of publication. This is a clear violation of intellectual property rights and publication ethics. According to the rules, this is not an issue for the ISSN to address, and we will refer these matters to the appropriate organizations for further action.

ISSN identifiers enable illegitimate journals to integrate into international scientometric databases and collaborate with the global academic community, posing a significant risk of spreading propaganda and disinformation. Collaboration with such journals could be seen as legitimizing the occupying regime, which is unacceptable under international law, as emphasized by both the UN and the EU.

It has been proposed that assigning the “INT” code would be an adequate solution to this problem. Why is this now not considered sufficient?

Iryna Izarova: These journals are published in Ukraine, which is unlawfully occupied by the Russian Federation. Under Ukrainian law, only bodies, institutions, and organizations registered under Ukrainian legislation can regulate publications in this territory. Assigning ISSNs by the ISSN Ukrainian Centre with the Book Chamber of Ukraine to publications registered under any other jurisdiction within Ukraine, without registration under Ukrainian law, is unacceptable. This is inadmissible from both legal and ethical perspectives.

The assignment of the INT code was a temporary solution on the path to a comprehensive resolution of the ISSN issue in occupied territories – we became the first case of actively protecting the rights of Ukrainian publications.

Moreover, this issue has global implications for other regions affected by war, aggression, or conflict.

An effective resolution of the issue requires a sustained dialogue, which we maintain with the ISSN International Centre and the ISSN Ukraine.

What actions have been taken to address these violations?

Iryna Izarova: Ukrainian researchers, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Science, the State Scientific and Technical Library, and the Book Chamber of Ukraine, with support from SUPRR, have initiated a dialogue with the ISSN International Centre. Evidence of misuse, including false claims of publication continuity, was presented.

The ISSN International Centre has responded positively, making complex efforts to address the issue. Notably, the application of Ukraine’s ISO country code, which designates Ukrainian territories, has been deemed appropriate. At the same time, ISSN records for titles located in occupied territories should contain accurate information about their history to ensure transparency for ISSN users.

While this measure helps distinguish unauthorized publications and highlights the context of these cases, it also underscores the need for broader systemic changes in ISSN regulations on recording titles from temporarily occupied territories. Primarily, these changes should aim to eliminate the root causes of such violations and prevent similar occurrences in the future. It is more effective to prevent such cases than to deal with their consequences later, and amendments to the existing ISSN regulations could be a valuable step in this direction.

What are the broader implications for intellectual property and academic publishing?

Denys Kurbatov: A key issue is intellectual property and adherence to international law. Many of these illegitimate publications exploit the history and archives of Ukrainian academic journals, essentially appropriating intellectual content. This also constitutes a breach of copyright law and misuse of Ukrainian academic resources. Addressing these issues requires further consultations and research to develop specific measures for the international community to effectively tackle the problem — a task we are actively pursuing.

Moreover, the duplication and misuse of ISSNs create confusion in indexing and citation systems, facilitating the dissemination of propaganda and misinformation by occupying authorities. As we have noted, publications operating under the occupiers’ control may appear alongside legitimate publications in international scientometric databases, undermining trust in the entire system and breaching academic integrity.

Therefore, we actively support dialogue with the academic community, as well as the National Centres and the ISSN International Centre, in seeking solutions to this issue.

What are the next steps planned to address these challenges?

Iryna Izarova: We continue consultations with the International and National ISSN Centres on possible updates to their policies regarding occupied territories. This includes establishing clear rules for the use of ISSNs by journals operating in occupied territories, as well as mechanisms for modifying ISSN records for such publications.

Furthermore, we collaborate with international organizations, such as the European Association of Science Editors, to promote ethical publishing standards and support compliance with international law in regions affected by war, aggression, or conflict.

Denys Kurbatov: At the national level, we are strengthening our collaboration with the ISSN Ukrainian Centre with the Book Chamber of Ukraine to revise verification algorithms and support relocated journals in need. Our researchers continue to document improper ISSN usage and submit evidence as part of this joint effort.

There are also plans to intensify efforts to preserve the archives of Ukrainian scientific journals that have ceased publication due to the war.

What message would you like to convey to the international academic community?

Denys Kurbatov: Any reputable academic publisher must serve as a model of integrity and respect for international law. Refusing to cooperate with illegitimate journals and combating the unlawful use of ISSNs will help maintain trust in scholarly communication and safeguard academic freedom.

This issue undoubtedly goes beyond Ukraine’s responsibilities — it concerns preserving global trust in academic systems. We call on researchers, publishers, and indexing organizations to support these initiatives and remain vigilant against actions that undermine or may discredit the foundations of academic publishing and international law.