IKBFU's international online Russian intensive — an annual project that brings together thousands of learners from around the world — concluded on 30 August. Over the course of a week, university linguists delivered interactive classes across several time zones, at three filming locations, and across three levels of language proficiency — totalling more than 100 academic hours of online broadcasts.
This was the fourth annual intensive for IKBFU, and its audience continues to grow each year. In 2026, the project brought together representatives from 118 countries: schoolchildren studying Russian abroad, students, Russian language teachers, and professionals from a wide variety of fields — engineers, businesspeople, doctors — all those with an interest in the Russian language and culture. Many participants are joining for the second time:"The intensive is becoming a tradition for me! Learning Russian is the best way to end the summer." — Milica Milošević.
| Tatyana Tsvigun, Advisor to the Rectorate for Russian Language and Development of Humanitarian Education: |
| The sustained international interest in the project is evidence of the demand for the Russian language and a sign of the high professionalism of our team. For Russian language teachers, the intensive has become a good tradition — an early and vibrant start to the academic year, a tradition of meeting friends. We see that this is already a gathering point for our entire audience. Thousands of participants join the intensive, and among them are many whom we have met through our other projects — Russian Dictation, the International Pedagogical Olympiad in Russian, Russian Meridian, the Russian Lecture Series, and our in‑person educational formats. Maintaining and supporting these connections creates a foundation for strengthening the Russophone space and promoting the Russian language as a shared global value. |
Instructors also shared their impressions:
| Olga Vertinskaya, Associate Professor at the Institute of Russian Philology and Media Technology: |
| I was struck by the number of people who joined — of all ages, nationalities, interests, professions, and personal stories. I was struck by a burning passion for speaking Russian, the willingness to share memories and plans, experiences of learning the language, and enthusiasm for Russian culture. I want to wholeheartedly thank every participant for the joy of communication. |
| Nadezhda Pisar, Associate Professor at the Institute of Russian Philology and Media Technology: |
| For me, the online intensive is a way to take a fresh look at traditional topics for teaching Russian as a foreign language and to expand the boundaries of teaching — not only students but also teachers come to our classes. Creating interesting assignments, experimenting with AI, and learning to create something new is a challenge we take on every year to delight everyone who wants to stay connected with Russia, the Russian language, and its culture. |
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