Why did Ivan Pavlov request permission to move his laboratory abroad in 1922?

In 1922, the Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov requested permission to move his laboratory abroad due to the distressing conditions following the Russian Revolution of 1917.1

At that time, the country was suffering from a severe famine, which created significant hardships for scientific work and daily life. Although Vladimir Lenin denied the request—arguing that Russia needed scientists of Pavlov's caliber—he offered Pavlov special food rations reserved for honored communists. Pavlov famously refused these privileges, insisting that they be extended to all of his collaborators instead.1