russia uses educational expansion as a tool of «soft power»
“rossotrudnichestvo” has announced plans to increase the number of Indian students in russian universities from 40,000 to 100,000 by 2030. 95% of them will study medical specialties. In parallel, negotiations are underway to recognize russian medical diplomas in India — which effectively means institutionalizing dependence on the russian educational system.
Behind the facade of “humanitarian cooperation” lies a systemic strategy: foreign students are being used to create an illusion of international openness and attractiveness of russia, despite its significant international isolation due to the war against Ukraine. University visits, scholarships, and cultural exchanges serve as a propaganda tool rather than an educational goal.
russia’s educational diplomacy is a continuation of the information war by other means. A country that destroys universities in Ukraine with missiles and restricts education for its own students is simultaneously inviting foreign youth to study in its higher education institutions to form loyal elites abroad.
The Center previously reported that occupational administrations in the temporarily occupied territories systematically involve foreign students in staged events to legitimize the occupation and create an illusion of international support for the russian federation’s actions.
