Mathematicians are calling for the world’s largest maths conference to be cancelled, following the
Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM) sees the award of the subject’s highest honour, the
Fields medal, which is often called the “Nobel prize” of maths. It is held every four years and is currently set to take place in July in St Petersburg, Russia.
In a
joint letter written on 20 February, before the full invasion of Ukraine began, more than 100 invited speakers and mathematical societies around the world called for the event’s organisers, the International Mathematical Union (IMU), to cancel or postpone the conference.
“The ICM cannot be held in the context of a potential war that excludes many mathematicians from participating, and might divide, rather than unite, the mathematical community,” says the letter.
The IMU released
a statement on 24 February, saying it was “assessing the situation” but hadn’t reached a decision – a response that has sparked anger in the mathematical community.
A
group of Ukrainian mathematicians, which organised a boycott long before Russia’s invasion due to its previous military action in Crimea, said the silence from the IMU has been unhelpful.
Cancelling the ICM earlier, before the military escalation, could have sent a message to Russia. “ICM cannot influence politics in any serious way, but we’ve been trying to do just a little bit to prevent this outcome,” says
Andrey Gogolyev at Ohio State University, who is part of the group. “If a Russian regime would have received these messages earlier, maybe this [invasion] would not happen today.”
