CIIC

🇬🇲 First Russian Language Course in The Gambia Successfully Completed

On August 31, the inaugural Volga Summer Russian Language Course concluded at the University of The Gambia. The two-week program demonstrated strong interest in learning Russian: 94 people registered, while daily sessions brought together up to 43 participants.

📚 Over 10 intensive sessions and 30 academic hours, participants learned the Cyrillic alphabet, basic grammar, and practical vocabulary. By the end of the course, they could read short texts, introduce themselves, ask simple questions, and hold brief conversations in Russian. Practical exercises helped them use the language in everyday situations, from meeting new people to shopping. By the third day, more than 80% of the students could confidently introduce themselves in Russian.

🌏 The educational program was complemented by sessions on Russian culture, university life, science, and technology. Videos, music, role-playing exercises, and open discussions helped participants improve their pronunciation and listening skills while gaining a broader understanding of Russia. At the closing ceremony, students received certificates recognizing their successful completion of the course.

🌏😊 The initiative was developed by Gibril Faal and his team with the support of the Russkiy Mir Foundation, the Centre for International Interaction and Cooperation, and Rossotrudnichestvo. We were glad to contribute to transforming the idea presented to us a year ago into a successful educational project with tangible results.

We also thank the University of The Gambia, the Gambia Diaspora Foundation, the Smile Nation Foundation, the Embassy of The Gambia in Moscow, and other partners who supported the program. The project also received support from Russian Ambassador to The Gambia Mikhail Korneev and his diplomatic team.

🇷🇺 ✨ The next step is to build on these results by developing an online program up to the B1 level, expanding access to Russian language learning, and creating new educational opportunities for Gambian students interested in continuing their studies in Russia.

🌐 Analytics Without Borders

We continue our “Analytics Without Borders” series, where we feature the work of emerging researchers and experts in international relations. 📚

Today, we are sharing an article by Alisa Parkhomenko, a fourth-year International Relations student at Kuban State University. 🎓 Alisa has taken part in projects organized by our Center and is now taking her first steps in research and policy analysis.

🇨🇳 In her article, Alisa examines Beijing’s diplomatic strategy and China’s role in the emerging multipolar world. Using recent visits by world leaders as examples, she explores how China engages with different centers of power and strengthens its influence through bilateral diplomacy and international organizations.

Ultimately, the back-to-back visits crystallize a new reality. China’s strength lies not in replacing existing systems, but in offering parallel ones: alternative financing, different diplomatic norms, and competing economic models. That’s why leaders keep coming to Beijing: they’re not just negotiating deals, they’re testing how much space they can carve out for themselves in a world where influence is more distributed and options more varied.

🤝 We would like to thank Alisa and everyone who sends us their work and shares their perspectives on international affairs. If you would also like to contribute to our series, please send your article here.

🔗 Read the full article, “China’s Diplomatic Tightrope: How the Diplomatic Visits Reveal Beijing’s Multipolar Playbook,” here.

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🔥Our friends at NGO “Eurasia” are launching enrollment for the “Eurasia” Media School!

Applications are now open for the “Eurasia” Media School, an international educational project for young content creators, bloggers, journalists and media professionals from 🇦🇲 Armenia, 🇧🇾 Belarus, 🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan, 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan, 🇲🇩 Moldova, 🇹🇯 Tajikistan, 🇺🇿 Uzbekistan and 🇷🇺 Russia. Participation is free, with applicants selected through an open application process.
The project is designed both for those taking their first steps in media and for experienced creators looking to grow their platforms and develop new skills.

What’s inside?

🔵 8-week basic course
From profile design and content strategy to filming, editing, storytelling and interviewing.

🔵 Blogger Lab
Individual work with a mentor, regular content reviews, analytics and support in growing your audience.

🔵 Eurasia Media Alumni
A community for graduates offering access to collaborations, grant opportunities, content challenges and offline events.

The most active participants will also have access to internships, support for their own media projects, professional digital tools and AI services, as well as filming equipment and accessories.

🌏 As a partner of the project, the Center for International Interaction and Cooperation is happy to support an initiative that brings together young people from different countries, helps them build professional connections and gives them practical tools for working in today’s media environment.

If you have been thinking about developing your blog or trying your hand at content creation, this is a great opportunity to start.

↗️ Apply here: https://media.evrazia.su/

🇧🇾 📚 “Let’s go! For knowledge”: 1,500 first‑graders in Belarus received school supplies
 
Ahead of September 1 — Knowledge Day — Belarus held the “Let’s go! For knowledge” campaign as part of the Belarusian Red Cross’s charity campaign “Let’s get children to school”.
 
🤝 The initiative was implemented by the Rossotrudnichestvo Representative Office in the Republic of Belarus with the support of the Public Council under Rossotrudnichestvo and the Center for International Interaction and Cooperation, together with the Belarusian Red Cross.
 
By the start of the new school year, 1,500 first‑graders across Belarus, who especially need support, received fully equipped school backpacks. Among them are orphaned children, children from low‑income families, children with disabilities and developmental differences, as well as children who find themselves in a difficult life situation.
 
📚 Each backpack contained notebooks, pencil cases, stationery, and art kits. The backpacks themselves are equipped with an anatomical orthopedic backrest. A special detail was the “Cosmic Friendship” print featuring the flags of Russia and Belarus, the Soyuz spacecraft, and a portrait of Yuri Gagarin.
 
🌏 Cooperation between Russia and Belarus within the framework of the Union State is built not only on treaties and major integration projects, but also on concrete joint work that directly helps people. On the eve of Knowledge Day, which was celebrated yesterday, such support took on special significance: it helped children start the new school year with greater confidence and became yet another example of practical cooperation between the two countries in the humanitarian sphere.
 
😊 Igor Chaika, Head of Rossotrudnichestvo, noted:

“We are glad that our cooperation with the Belarusian Red Cross is not limited to memorandums, but is reflected in concrete good deeds. Our participation in the charity campaign ‘Let’s Get Children Ready for School’ is a conscious contribution to the growing generation. By handing over 1,500 fully stocked backpacks today, we want every child, when putting on that backpack, to feel like a true pioneer.” And, on the eve of September 1, following Yuri Gagarin, he could confidently say: “Let’s go!” — towards new knowledge, loyal friends, and excellent grades.

📚 Happy Knowledge Day!

September 1 is a special date in Russia, marking the beginning of a new academic year. For millions of schoolchildren, university students and teachers, it is more than just the first day of classes it is a celebration that reflects the importance placed on education, knowledge and the work of teachers.

At the same time, the school year begins very differently around the world: in some countries it is connected with family traditions, in others with formal ceremonies, and in some places it starts not in September at all, but in spring.

In our cards, we take a quick look at how the new school year begins in Russia, Germany, France, Japan and South Korea. 🌍

Swipe through!