BUFFALO, N.Y. — The University at Buffalo issued a statement Thursday concerning a group of faculty and staff that were detained during a trip to Russia.
“University at Buffalo officials worked closely with the U.S. Embassy in Russia to facilitate the disposition of the proceedings related to the five staff and faculty members who were detained while visiting the country. We understand that this matter has been resolved and the group has arrived back in the U.S. We are still gathering information and expect to conduct a full debriefing on the matter in the coming days,” said a statement issued by the University.
On Thursday morning, Reuters posted a report stating that a Russian court ordered the deportation of the group from UB, claiming that they violated the terms of their visas.
The Russian court said the group was in the country on a tourist visa but had given a lecture at a university in the city of Ryazan, according to Reuters.
According to UB, the group included two School of Management faculty members, two staff members and one alum. They had arrived on December 3 and planned to learn more about global economies.
In a statement, UB said the group members were detained for several hours in Ryazan on December 9, adding that while the school viewed the campus visit as an open discussion, the officials at Moscow Polytechnic University "interpreted it as a formal lecture."
According to the statement, each person from UB paid a small fine before leaving Russia the next day, landing back in Buffalo on Thursday.