Official statement regarding recent Greg’ commit 6e90b675cf942e from Serge Semin
Hello Linux-kernel community,
I am sure you have already heard the news caused by the recent Greg’ commit 6e90b675cf942e (“MAINTAINERS: Remove some entries due to various compliance requirements.”). As you may have noticed the change concerned some of the Ru-related developers removal from the list of the official kernel maintainers, including me.
The community members rightly noted that the quite short commit log contained very vague terms with no explicit change justification. No matter how hard I tried to get more details about the reason, alas the senior maintainer I was discussing the matter with haven’t given an explanation to what compliance requirements that was. I won’t cite the exact emails text since it was a private messaging, but the key words are “sanctions”, “sorry”, “nothing I can do”, “talk to your (company) lawyer”… I can’t say for all the guys affected by the change, but my work for the community has been purely volunteer for more than a year now (and less than half of it had been payable before that). For that reason I have no any (company) lawyer to talk to, and honestly after the way the patch has been merged in I don’t really want to now. Silently, behind everyone’s back, bypassing the standard patch-review process, with no affected developers/subsystem notified - it’s indeed the worse way to do what has been done. No gratitude, no credits to the developers for all these years of the devoted work for the community. No matter the reason of the situation but haven’t we deserved more than that? Adding to the GREDITS file at least, no?..
I can’t believe the kernel senior maintainers didn’t consider that the patch wouldn’t go unnoticed, and the situation might get out of control with unpredictable results for the community, if not straight away then in the middle or long term perspective. I am sure there have been plenty ways to solve the problem less harmfully, but they decided to take the easiest path. Alas what’s done is done. A bifurcation point slightly initiated a year ago has just been fully implemented. The reason of the situation is obviously in the political ground which in this case surely shatters a basement the community has been built on in the first place. If so then God knows what might be next (who else might be sanctioned…), but the implemented move clearly sends a bad signal to the Linux community new comers, to the already working volunteers and hobbyists like me.
Thus even if it was still possible for me to send patches or perform some reviews, after what has been done my motivation to do that as a volunteer has simply vanished. (I might be doing a commercial upstreaming in future though). But before saying goodbye I’d like to express my gratitude to all the community members I have been lucky to work with during all these years.
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While I understand that the manner in which your removal from the Linux kernel maintainer list was handled may feel frustrating, there are much larger issues at stake here. The fact that you would leave a project you claimed to have volunteered for “in good faith” as soon as your country’s role in a horrific war of aggression comes into question is deeply troubling.
Let’s be clear: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is an unprovoked act of war, involving systematic atrocities and crimes against humanity. No matter how you frame your individual involvement as a contributor to open-source projects, by remaining silent and failing to stand against the actions of your government, you and others in Russia are complicit. You cannot separate your personal or professional activities from the larger geopolitical realities—especially not when your country is committing genocidal acts.
Furthermore, the issue of trust cannot be overstated. The Linux Foundation and broader open-source community depend on trust and collaboration. With Russian state-sponsored espionage, cyberattacks, and covert operations frequently targeting Western infrastructure, it’s impossible to ignore the risks associated with contributors from a country that has made subterfuge and disinformation a central part of its strategy. How can the community trust that your contributions are made in good faith when so many Russian actors have been implicated in espionage and manipulation efforts?
The Linux Foundation does not exist in a vacuum. It stands for more than just code—it represents the principles of openness, transparency, and ethical responsibility. Allowing contributions from individuals tied to a state engaging in war crimes sends the wrong message. It would compromise the integrity of the entire community.
As for the comparison to U.S. support for Israel, the situations are entirely different. The U.S. is not driving soldiers into Gaza to kill Palestinians. While we provide material and military support to Israel—largely aimed at combating Hamas, a recognized terrorist organization—that is not the same as directly engaging in the conflict. The idea that the U.S. is the sole proprietor of the war in Gaza is absurd and fueled by Iranian and other hostile propaganda. The U.S. government has not declared war on Gaza, and no congressional vote has sanctioned such an action.
It’s important to note that U.S. policy toward Israel has been consistent for decades, across multiple administrations. The complexities of this relationship go far beyond any single conflict or war. Furthermore, while atrocities committed by any state must be condemned, we are not responsible for every action taken by Israel, just as Russians like yourself should not dismiss your government’s role in the atrocities being committed in Ukraine.
In the end, it’s about accountability. You chose to walk away from the Linux community because of a necessary and justified action aimed at holding people accountable for their involvement, directly or indirectly, in a war of aggression. Your departure speaks volumes about where your priorities and loyalties truly lie.
