Dear ILRS Colleagues:

As you
are all aware, the shocking events that saw the Russian invasion of Ukraine
have caused a great deal of concern and worry, including among members of our community.
Our hearts and minds are with the people who have seen their lives directly
affected by this dreadful situation, some of our own colleagues among them. We
hope for a swift and peaceful conclusion to this crisis.

The ILRS
has worked with the IAG and the other Services to issue a statement of concern
regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine. A copy of the statement is included
below. We have discussed these matters within the EUROLAS subnetwork, in the
Network and Engineering Standing Committee, and at the Governing Board level.
The ILRS expressed its position in its message of March 3^rd, which
we reiterate here with some additional updates.

The IAG
and its Services, including the ILRS, by their charters are non-political
cooperative international scientific organizations and do not have the
authority to dictate specific actions to their members in reaction to the
Russian invasion. As noted in the IAG statement For the past
150 years, the International Association of Geodesy has been an enduring and
politically neutral forum for dialogue and collaboration for geodetic
scientists and engineers around the world, through its various research bodies
and technical services. The IAG has worked through many crises
over the years to hold the science community together and keep our channels of
communication open.

With all
of this in mind, the ILRS has reminded individual ILRS member institutions that
it is for them to examine the relevant sanctions, governing institutional
policies, and their own consciences to guide any actions that they might take.
ILRS member institutions not only have the freedom to act as they and their
funding bodies consider appropriate, but also have the opportunity to share
their views on these matters through the ILRS committees, meetings, and mailing
lists.

Tracking
data of GNSS satellites is collected by the ILRS for scientific use and
benefits the scientific community whether released immediately or withheld
until a later date. As noted on the ILRS priority list, Stations may adjust
priorities to accommodate local conditions such as system capabilities,
weather, and special program interests". Our ILRS members, through a
combination of stations no longer observing GLONASS satellites, and stations
and Data Centers withholding and archiving data, have essentially halted the
flow of GLONASS data since the beginning of March. The actions taken by our
ILRS members, and their public announcements, are consistent with accommodating
their special program interests, expressing their view on the severity of the
situation and making a strong statement about freedom of speech and action
within our community.

Once
again, we sincerely hope that the conflict in Ukraine comes to a peaceful end
as soon as possible.

With our
best wishes,

ILRS Governing Board

IAG Statement on Ukraine

The
International Association of Geodesy and its services strongly condemn the
unprovoked and premeditated Russian invasion of Ukraine. We are deeply troubled
by the loss of life and hundreds of thousands of civilians becoming refugees,
and are very concerned about the safety and well-being of our scientific
colleagues in Ukraine. We strongly request that the responsible people stop the
military actions immediately.

For the past
150 years, the International Association of Geodesy has been an enduring and
politically neutral forum for dialogue and collaboration for geodetic
scientists and engineers around the world, through its various research bodies
and technical services. IAG alignswith therecent statement of the International Science Council, which warns against the severe outcomes that
conflict will have on the research and academic community. Our capacity to work
collaboratively on global challenges, and on cutting edge research such as
Arctic and space research, is only equal to our capacity to maintain strong
collaboration amidst geopolitical turmoil. Ultimately the isolation and
exclusion of important scientific communities is detrimental to all.

IAG is committed to continue
advancing the equal participation and collaboration among geodesists of all
peaceful nations, towards the development of geodetic applications and
innovations for the benefit of our fragile global community. Our greatest
desire is for peace, and we stand united with others worldwide calling for an
immediate end to this violent attack.

https://www.iag-aig.org/topic/324