[Feature] Out in the cold
As the European Union and the United States imposed escalating sanctions on Russia over its annexation of Crimea in March 2014, science collaborations with institutions on the Black Sea peninsula foundered. Last year, the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences issued a decree barring its scientists from working with colleagues in Crimea. Scientists who remain in Crimea now face huge hurdles when seeking visas to the West—but they have received a warm embrace from Russia. For example, researchers at two institutes in Sevastopol are joining Russia-led marine expeditions. And the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory got Russian funding this year to purchase a pair of 70-centimeter telescopes that will search for dangerous near-Earth asteroids. Author: Richard Stone