Related links

The problem here is not complying with sanctions. It's not even necessarily about the specific people who were removed as maintainers.

It's the way in which it was done: very quietly, with the patch sent only to patches@lists.linux.dev, and then hidden in an unrelated char-misc pull request, and no credible explanation given. Yes, there was a changelog, but it was incredibly vague and explains very little -- the real explanation has come to light in follow-ups.

The problem is that all of this was done sneakily, in secrecy (which failed and backfired, by the way). It should have been done fully in the open with some kind of explanation as to the criteria. The way it was done created unnecessary fear because it did not spell out why certain maintainers were being given the boot. Did it target Russian nationals? Or certain companies? (Yes, we know the answer NOW, but we didn't at the time, since this was not explained in the patch.) Who is next? Chinese citizens? Chinese companies?

Top maintainers forcibly removing people from maintainer positions is a very strong use of power. It's an extreme action compared to anything we've ever seen in the Linux kernel. It's a devastating predicament for those involved, whether they deserved it or not. It sends a signal -- but what signal? Without the accompanying explanation, it could be interpreted in a number of ways. Are all Russians now persona non grata in the Linux kernel? I think that's a very dangerous mindset, very similar to how Jews, Arabs, etc. have historically been treated in the Western world. A simple up-front explanation would have avoided this unfortunate implication.

I'm not defending any specific person because I don't know the maintainers involved. But I disagree profoundly with the way it was done.

We don't sneak things in. We're better than this. Especially following the UMN scandal and the xz backdoor. This should not be hard to understand.