How russia uses language teaching abroad for influence and propaganda
“rossotrudnichestvo”is launching a new project under which groups of so-called russian language master’s students from the moscow linguistic university will be sent on internships to various countries around the world. For a month, they will work in schools, universities, and educational centers in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.
Although such programs are presented as “cultural internships,” their real purpose is to promote the political interests of the russian federation. russia systematically uses educational and humanitarian projects to popularize its own narratives, strengthen influence over local elites, and build a support base on international platforms.
▫️Similar initiatives are actively launched in Global South countries — from South Asia to Central Africa. Economic and military-political tools traditionally lie behind cultural presence. Such programs are effectively part of broader influence operations that the kremlin builds through a network of “russian houses” and affiliated organizations.
The Center has previously reported that russia uses humanitarian and educational projects as a cover for information operations aimed at expanding its geopolitical influence and undermining the positions of democratic countries in the region.
