kremlin finances the “Russian World” for foreigners, ignoring the needs of its own population
Despite the economic crisis, cuts to social programs, and the closure of hospitals in the regions, russia continues to generously fund propaganda targeting foreigners who “share its values.”
▫️ The foundation of imperialist writer alexander prokhanov, “russian dream,” received 8.4 million rubles (over $107,000) from the state budget for the “social adaptation” of foreigners who recently moved to russia. Additionally, the “russian historical society” project, headed by the director of the roreign intelligence service sergei naryshkin, was granted 10 million rubles (around $128,000) to organize lectures on “russian history” for foreign students.
Instead of addressing real needs of its citizens, the russian budget serves a political fantasy of a “welcoming empire.” Despite a massive media campaign, relocation programs to russia have yielded minimal results. For example, the “time to live in russia” initiative managed to attract only 50 foreigners to its pilot region (nizhny novgorod). Other initiatives, such as “golden visas” and “return of compatriots” have also failed, despite significant state funding allocated to their promotion
