Vladimir putin, President of the Russian Federation

«We will stand up for the diversity of the world. We will keep telling the truth to people abroad, so that everyone 

can see the real, the genuine – not a distorted or false – image of Russia. We will actively promote business and 

humanitarian cooperation, as well as scientifi c, educational and cultural relations. We will do this even though 

some governments attempt to create something like a new iron curtain around Russia.

We will never enter the path of self-isolation, xenophobia, suspicion and search for enemies. All that is evidence of 

weakness, and we are strong and confi dent.

Our goal is to have as many equal partners as possible, both in the West and in the East. We will expand our pres-

ence in those regions where integration processes are on the rise now, where politics is not mixed with economy, 

and where, on the contrary, obstacles to trade, to exchange of technologies and investments, and to free movement 

of people are removed.

Under no conditions will we curtail our relations with Europe or with America. At the same time, we will restore 

and expand our traditional ties with South America. We will continue our cooperation with Africa and the countries 

of the Middle East.» 

Vladimir PUTIN, President of the Russian Federation

Excerpt from the Presidential Address to the Federal Assembly

December 4, 2014, Moscow, the Kremlin

Rossotrudnichestvo

About the Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States, 

Compatriots Living Abroad and International Humanitarian Cooperation.

The Agency exercises the following powers:

•

  Performs the state customer (state customer-coordinator) functions 

that correspond to the federal and departmental special-purpose 

programs, as well as the intergovernmental special-purpose programs, 

implemented with the participation of the Russian Federation;

•

  

Interacts, in accordance with the established procedure, with the 

executive bodies of the international and regional organizations 

established by the Russian Federation together with the participant 

states of the Commonwealth of Independent States;

•

  Renders assistance to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian 

Federation in  conducting the unifi ed foreign policy of the Russian 

Federation insofar as it refers to the coordination of programs 

(in accordance with established procedures) in the fi eld of international 

humanitarian cooperation;

•

   Develops and implements – in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign 

Affairs of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Finance of the Russian 

Federation and other federal executive bodies – both medium – and 

long-term programs in the fi eld of assistance (on the bilateral level) to the international development 

of the relations with the participant states of the Commonwealth of Independent States and with other 

countries, as well as monitors the implementation of these programs.

3

KOSACHEV Konstantin Iosifovich

Graduated from Moscow State Institute of International Relations in 1984. 

Filled various diplomatic positions in the Central Offi ce and the diplomatic and consular missions 

of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the USSR and Russia. Appointed the head of «Rossotrudnichestvo» 

by the Presidential Decree No. 278 dated March 5, 2012.

Received the following awards: the Order of Merit for the Motherland (IV class), the Order of Friendship 

(Russia), the Order of Honor (Russia), the Medal of the Order of Merit for the Chuvash Republic, the Order 

of Friendship (South Ossetia), the Royal Order of the Polar Star (Sweden), the Order of the Offi cer Cross 

of the Hungarian Republic. Holds the Candidate of Legal Sciences degree.

Reception Desk: Tel.: [phone]; fax [phone]; 

[e-mail]

Managing Director of the Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States, 

Compatriots Living Abroad and International Humanitarian Cooperation.

Rossotrudnichestvo

Central Administrative Offi ce 

of the Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States, 

Compatriots Living Abroad and International Humanitarian Cooperation.

Deputy Directors

RATNIKOV Viktor Viktorovich

Class 2 Active State Advisor of the Russian 

Federation. Was awarded the Medal of the 

Order of Merit for the Motherland (II Class), 

the Medal of Merit for Taking the All-Russian 

Population Census. Holds the Candidate 

of Legal Sciences degree.

Reception Desk: Tel. [phone];

[e-mail]

EFREMOVA Larisa Ivanovna

Class 2 Active State Advisor of the 

Russian Federation. Holds the Candidate 

of Philosophical Sciences Degree.

Reception Desk: Tel. [phone];

[e-mail]

RADKOV Aleksandr Vasilyevich

Class 3 Advisor of the State Civil Service 

of the Russian Federation.

Reception Desk: Tel. [phone];

[e-mail]

KVITKO Dmitry Ivanovich

Class 3 Active State Advisor of the Russian 

Federation. Was awarded the Medal of the 

Order of Merit for the Motherland (II Class).

Reception Desk: Tel. [phone];

[e-mail] 

5

Departments of the Central Administrative Offi ce 

of the Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States, 

Compatriots Living Abroad and International Humanitarian Cooperation.

Department for Cooperation 

in the Field of Education and Support 

of the Russian Language

Head of Department:

LAZGIEVA Leila Sabirovna

Tel. [phone];

[e-mail]

Department for Scientifi c Cooperation, 

Youth and Communication Programs

Head of Department:

MARKARYAN Artyom Aleksandrovich

Tel. [phone];

[e-mail] 

Department for Humanitarian Cooperation

Head of Department:

CHICHILIMOV Anton Vladimirovich

Tel. [phone];

[e-mail]

Department for Compatriots and Public Diplomacy

Head of Department:

KHOMENKO Aleksandr Mikhailovich

Tel. [phone];

[e-mail]

Department for Program Coordination and Planning

Head of Department:

METELEV Yury Anatolyevich

Tel. [phone];

[e-mail] 

Department for RCSC 

(Russian Center of Science and Culture) 

and Multilateral Cooperation in CIS

Head of Department:

MEDVEDEV Sergey Yuryevich

Tel. [phone];

[e-mail] 

Department for Promotion of International 

Development (PID)

Head of Department:

YATSENKO Elena Borisovna

Tel. [phone];

[e-mail] 

Administrative Department

Head of Department:

KRUPPO Sergey Mikhailovich

Tel. [phone];

[e-mail] 

General Affairs Department

Head of Department:

SOVALIN Boris Vladimirovich

Tel. [phone];

[e-mail] 

Monetary and Financial Department

Head of Department:

LEVKOV Kirill Yakovlevich

Tel. [phone];

[e-mail]

Rossotrudnichestvo

Main areas of activity

Strengthening common humanitarian space and promoting integration of the CIS countries

According to the Foreign Policy Concept of the Russian Federation dated February 12, 2013 and to the long-

term political and economic interests of the Russian Federation, the Commonwealth of Independent States is 

a priority area for Rossotrudnichestvo.

Using its network of Russian Centers of Science and Culture (RCSC) the Agency is actively working on the 

promotion and preservation of the Russian language and culture in the CIS countries. It also contributes to 

the strengthening and development of interrelations between Russia and Russian compatriots living in the CIS 

member states.

In accordance with its functions and powers, Rossotrudnichestvo cooperates in this area with the relevant 

departments of the CIS Executive Committee Central Apparatus, the committees and commissions of the 

chambers of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, the Russian Ministry of Economic Development, 

the Russian Ministry of Education, the Russian Federal Migration Service, other ministries and departments, 

as well as with a number of subjects of the Russian Federation.

Promoting and strengthening integration processes in the CIS is also one of the functional tasks of the RCSC. 

Russian Centers and organizational resources of the Rossotrudnichestvo representational offi ces are actively 

used for conducting joint programs with the diplomatic missions and other organizations of the Commonwealth.

In accordance with the Concept of the Russian Federation Participation in the International Development 

Assistance, approved by the President of Russia on June 14, 2007, Rossotrudnichestvo (in cooperation with the 

Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Russian Ministry of Finance and other federal agencies) is involved in 

the development of the national program of International Development Assistance (IDA), which will be used 

to implement the projects of assistance to the CIS countries in humanitarian, educational and social spheres.

Much attention is devoted to the promotion of innovative cooperation with the CIS countries. Bearing this aim 

in mind, the Council of CIS State Leaders (CIS CSL) decided, on November 14, 2008, to develop the Interstate 

7

Program of Innovative Cooperation of the CIS Member States for the period 

up to 2020. According to the decision, taken by the CIS CSL on May 21, 2010, 

Rossotrudnichestvo was approved to be the customer-coordinator of the 

Program.

Rossotrudnichestvo also actively supported the idea of creating the 

Eurasian Union and is now working on the implementation of the goals set 

by the government in this direction.

Promoting Russian culture on the global scale

The steps that Rossotrudnichestvo undertakes in the areas of culture, sci-

ence and education are aimed at the global promotion of Russian achieve-

ments in the humanities (via the large-scale integrated programs), as well 

as at the ensuring of the permanent Russian cultural presence abroad 

(via the network of the Rossotrudnichestvo representational offi ces  – 

Russian Centers of Science and Culture).

With regard to the CIS countries, the activities of Rossotrudnichestvo are 

aimed at the creation of a unifi ed humanitarian space and the develop-

ment of integration processes. With regard to the foreign countries, these activities are carried out in order to 

strengthen international positions of the Russian Federation, to promote its national interests, and to create 

objective conditions for the perception of modern Russia as a democratic, free and open state.

Strengthening Russian language positions

Rossotrudnichestvo, using the potential of its representational offi ces in the foreign countries, pursues a con-

sistent and active work in supporting and promoting Russian language, Russian literature and culture; it as-

sists the Russian language study valuing it as an integral part of the global culture and a tool of the interna-

tional communication.

Currently, Rossotrudnichestvo is the only Russian government agency that systematically provides the foreign 

communities with Russian language courses – via the RCSC. These courses are now available at 58 repre-

sentational offi ces in 63 countries around the world. The total number of the students is about 20 000 people 

per year.

Particular attention is paid to the courses of social and professional orientation, and to teaching different 

target audiences. The most popular form of training is intensive, and short-term courses for the employ-

ees of state agencies and services, airlines, banks, hotels and travel agencies. Russian language courses for 

Rossotrudnichestvo

children of compatriots living abroad and children born in mixed marriages 

are operating in 33 countries. Russian language courses at RCSC (jointly 

with leading Russian universities) offer tests for foreign citizens in the Rus-

sian language with the subsequent issuance of certifi cates.

Rossotrudnichestvo and its foreign representational offi ces annually or-

ganize and conduct cultural, educational, scientifi c and methodological 

activities aimed at promoting the Russian language and stimulating in-

terest of foreign citizens to study it; at supporting Russian studies pro-

grams abroad and improving the teaching of the Russian language in the 

host countries.

As part of its regulatory activity, Rossotrudnichestvo pays particular atten-

tion to the activation and coordination of effort (at the interagency level) for 

working out conceptual documents that consolidate and regulate the inter-

agency cooperation in order to expand Russia’s cultural presence abroad, 

and to ensure the expansion and strengthening of the Russian language 

position in the world (the draft of the state concept of the support provided 

by the Russian Federation to the Russian language abroad; the draft of the 

«Russian school abroad» concept).

Last October the drafts of the concepts got approved at the meeting of the Presidential Council of the Russian 

Federation on the Russian language on October 9, 2014. Currently, the concepts are being fi nalized in accor-

dance with the comments of the Council members.

The Agency pays particular attention to the support of Russian schools abroad. Rossotrudnichestvo pro-

vides constant informational, scientifi c-methodological and organizational support (with regard to the in-

novative methods of teaching) to Russian schools abroad and the schools of the Russian Defense Ministry 

and the Russian Federal Security Service that operate in Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan 

and Ukraine.

Rossotrudnichestvo monitors foreign Russian-language schools with the aim to develop criteria for the forma-

tion of the registry of Russian schools abroad. As of November 2014, 215 schools from 40 countries took part 

in the monitoring.

In order to perform the interagency coordination of the joint actions in support of Russian schools abroad, 

Rossotrudnichestvo initiated the creation of the Expert Council for the support of Russian schools abroad. 

Working groups in various areas of collaboration were created within the framework of the Council.

9

Among the Council members are representatives of the Rossotrudnichestvo, the Russian Ministry of Foreign 

Affairs, the Russian Ministry of Education, the «Russian World» fund, the leading Russian universities and 

publishing houses, and the representatives of Russian schools abroad.

Promoting the export of Russian educational services

Activities, aimed at developing international relations of the Russian Federation in the fi eld of education, are 

conducted pursuant to the concept of promotion of Russian education via the Rossotrudnichestvo represen-

tational offi ces abroad, approved by Sergey Lavrov, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, 

in March 2014.

The format of the aforementioned activities is that the Agency enters into cooperation agreements with Rus-

sian universities and research organizations that are interested in the development of their international rela-

tions and in their positioning in the foreign educational and scientifi c arena.

Rossotrudnichestvo supplies each agreement of this kind with the annual plan of joint actions (developed by a 

university or a research organization) that presupposes the systematic and targeted export of the scientifi c and 

educational services of Russian higher education facilities.

Teaching foreign citizens at Russian universities

Rossotrudnichestvo, in accordance with its powers defi ned by the Agency 

Regulations, participates in selecting (and directing to study in the Russian 

Federation) foreign citizens and compatriots living abroad, at the expense 

of the federal budget; it assists the development of international relations 

of the Russian Federation in the fi eld of education; promotes the educa-

tional services of Russian educational institutions on the global market; 

facilitates the cooperation between Russian and foreign educational insti-

tutions, as well as organizes congresses, conferences, seminars, forums, 

exhibitions and other events in the fi eld of international educational and 

scientifi c cooperation.

The activities, scheduled to select foreign nationals and Russian compatriots living abroad for their further 

studies at Russian institutions of higher education, are carried out within the framework of the implemen-

tation of the Resolution of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 891 «On establishing quotas for 

foreign nationals and persons without citizenship in terms of their education in the Russian Federation», 

dated October 8, 2013. 

Rossotrudnichestvo

According to this resolution, the Russian party shall provide an annual quota for the specifi ed categories of 

citizens at the level of up to 15 000 of governmental scholarships that allow studying at educational institutions 

in the educational programs of vocational education, higher education and secondary vocational education at 

the expense of the federal budget.

After 2014 the selection is carried out in two stages.

During the fi rst stage, Rossotrudnichestvo performs the functions of the 

single operator for selecting abroad foreign candidates to study in Russia 

(via its network of the representative offi ces abroad; in the countries where 

there are no representations, the selection is done through the Embassies 

of the Russian Federation).

Upon the fi rst stage of selection, the sets of documents of those foreign 

candidates who got recommended for studies within the allocated quotas, are formed locally under the direc-

tions of those representatives of a Russian Embassy or a foreign representation of Rossotrudnichestvo, who 

are responsible for the admissions; the documents are then sent to the central offi ce of Rossotrudnichestvo.

The list of documents submitted by the applicants, the admission requirements and the necessary recom-

mendations can be found on the Internet at the Russian Ministry of Education website: 

http://минобрнауки.рф,

 

the Rossotrudnichestvo website: 

http://rs.gov.ru,

 the Federal Education and Science Supervision Agency web-

site (with regard to the recognition of foreign education documents): 

http://obrnadzor.gov.ru.

The second stage of the selection is carried out directly by the Russian educational organizations through a 

specially created Information-analytical system.

Promoting abroad advanced achievements of Russian science, technology and engineering 

Appearance of the Russian scientifi c community in the global re-

search arena is a necessary condition for the development of the do-

mestic economy, which is based, inter alia, on innovative technologies. 

Rossotrudnichestvo supports the efforts of Russian universities, re-

search organizations and manufacturers of competitive high-tech prod-

ucts in their establishing of mutually benefi cial contacts with foreign 

partners, in shaping and implementing the bilateral and multilateral 

projects and programs.

The main method of this systematic and complex support is to assist in organizing conferences, seminars 

and exhibitions in the sphere of high technologies (in the foreign countries), as well as in providing profes-

11

sional consultations re selecting foreign partners. Theme events involv-

ing Russian scientists and experts provide great results when held at the 

Russian Centers of Science and Culture. For example, in 2014, for the 

fi rst time in the history of Ecuador, its artifi cial research Earth satellite 

was launched with the assistance of young Russian professionals and 

graduate students. The project was supported by Rossotrudnichestvo, 

and the foreign participants visited Russia within the framework of the 

«New Generation» program.

The common way of preparing for further cooperation on important topics is the organization of the videocon-

ferences between Russian and foreign young scientists, done with the Agency’s support.

2015 events with the participation of Russian scientists and experts at the RCSC organized 

by Rossotrudnichestvo jointly with the Ministry of Education of Russia

1

May

Serbia

New technologies in the electric power engineering. 

Basic technologies of power electrotechnics

2

May Slovakia

Technologies for producing structural and functional nanomaterials

3

May 

Czech 

Republic

Technologies for diagnosing nanomaterials and nanodevices

4

June

Armenia

Nano-, bio-, information and cognitive technologies

5

June

Italy

Nano-, bio-, information and cognitive technologies

6

June

Kazakhstan

Technologies for search, exploration and development of mineral deposits 

and their extraction

7

July

Belarus

Computer modeling of nanomaterials, nanodevices and nanotechnologies

8

September

Vietnam

Biomedical and veterinary technologies

9

September India

Technologies and software of distributed and high performance 

computing systems

10

September

China

Developments of young Russian scientists (as part of the Year of Youth Exchange)

11

October

Brazil

Technologies for oil refi ning and biofuel extraction

12

November

Bulgaria

Technologies for creating energy-effi cient systems for energy transportation, 

distribution, and use 

Rossotrudnichestvo