Russia’s investment in the education of international students, especially in these challenging geopolitical times, is valuable and profitable. Graduates are the “soft power” that will help Russia strengthen and develop essential cultural, historical, religious, economic, political, and other ties with other countries, writes Mikis Filaniotis, President of the Cyprus-Russia Friendship Society (Republic of Cyprus).
Is the Russian President’s goal of increasing the number of international students in Russia to half a million by 2030 overly ambitious or realistic? We know the following:
(1) According to the latest data, the number of international students in Russian universities will increase to 422,000 in 2026.
(2) The proposed federal budget for 2026-2028 allocates 10.6 billion rubles in 2026, 27.2 billion rubles in 2027, and 54.3 billion rubles in 2028 for the education of foreign students at Russian institutions of higher education within the government quota.
This speaks volumes, especially considering that Russia already allocates approximately 30,000 quotas for international students annually. This number will clearly increase exponentially each year, at it is only one means of increasing the overall number of students. Others include expanding dual-degree programmes, grant support, increasing joint programmes and English-language courses, developing online courses, collaborating with foreign universities, and so on. We are confident that this goal will be achieved ahead of schedule.
Russia’s investment in education, especially in these challenging geopolitical times, is its most valuable and profitable investment. It will repay Russia’s quota-based education expenditures a hundredfold over the coming decades. Graduates are the “soft power” that will help Russia strengthen and develop essential cultural, historical, religious, economic, political, and other ties with other countries.
Graduates engage in educational diplomacy, and their example will help new students choose Russia. They receive more than just a Russian education—they become fluent in Russian, learn about Russian culture and traditions, as well as Russian history and the Russian mentality. They become the best ambassadors of the beautiful Russian world, both at home and abroad. Through their public diplomacy, they can help Russia by joining various organisations—including alumni associations, friendship societies with Russia, Russophile movements, and so on.
But for this to be effective, it is crucial to create structures in Russia similar to those which were in place during the Soviet Union—with a budget for each country, maintaining constant communication, exchanging event plans and cultural delegations. Sadly, in Cyprus, for example, historical, traditional organisations that have been operating for 60-65 years (particularly the Association of Graduates of Soviet and Russian Universities and the Cyprus-Russia Friendship Society) will soon cease to exist because there are no new members. It is unclear how we will engage young people in public affairs and whether they will become future citizen ambassadors.
The Soviet Union viewed the training of foreign students as a tool for international cooperation, strengthening political and cultural ties, and developing personnel for developing countries. Modern Russia remains a significant centre for international educational migration and ranks high in the world thanks to:
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a strong engineering and natural sciences school;
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accessibility of education;
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a wide range of programmes in Russian and English;
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a historical reputation for training specialists from foreign countries.
It is important that today, the motivation of foreign students choosing one country or another for study is primarily professional and economic, rather than political.
Russia plays an important and multifaceted role in international educational migration—as a historical centre for training personnel for many countries, as a modern participant in the global education market, and as a state that forms sustainable cultural and professional ties through education.
