RUSSIA
OVERVIEW
Russia, country that stretches over a vast expanse of eastern Europe and northern Asia. Once the preeminent republic of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R.; commonly known as the Soviet Union), Russia became an independent country after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in December 1991.
Russia is a land of superlatives. By far the world’s largest country, it covers nearly twice the territory of Canada, the second largest. It extends across the whole of northern Asia and the eastern third of Europe, spanning 11 time zones and incorporating a great range of environments and landforms, from deserts to semiarid steppes to deep forests and Arctic tundra. Russia contains Europe’s longest river, the Volga, and its largest lake, Ladoga. Russia also is home to the world’s deepest lake, Baikal, and the country recorded the world’s lowest temperature outside the North and South poles.
TRADE / ECONOMY
The economy of Russia has gradually transformed from a planned economy into a market-oriented economy. It has enormous natural resources, particularly oil and natural gas. As of 2021, it was the fifth-largest economy in Europe, the world’s eleventh-largest economy by nominal GDP, and the sixth-largest by PPP.
Russia‘s vast geography is an important determinant of its economic activity, with the country holding a large share of the world’s natural resources. It has been widely described as an energy superpower; as it has the world’s largest natural gas reserves, the second-largest coal reserves, the eighth-largest oil reserves, and the largest oil shale reserves in Europe. It is the world’s leading natural gas exporter, the second-largest natural gas producer, and the second-largest oil exporter, and producer. Russia’s foreign exchange reserves are the world’s fifth-largest. It has a labour force of roughly 70 million people, which is the world’s sixth-largest. Russia has a large and sophisticated arms industry, capable of designing and manufacturing high-tech military equipment, and is the world’s second-largest exporter of arms. Russia also has the world’s fifth-largest number of billionaires.
The oil and gas sector accounted up to roughly 40% of Russia’s federal budget revenues, and up to 60% of its exports in 2019. In 2019, the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry estimated the value of natural resources to 60% of the country’s GDP. Russia has one of the lowest external debts among major economies, although its inequality of household income and wealth remains comparatively high.[46] Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the country has faced several sanctions and boycotts from the Western world and its allies, a move described as an “all-out economic and financial war” to isolate the Russian economy from the global financial system. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has estimated the damage done by the sanctions triggered “the greatest supply shock since at least the early 1970s”, and will retract Russia’s economy by 10% in 2022. Since early 2022 many official economic statistics are no longer published.
TOURISM
Tourism in Russia has seen rapid growth since the late Soviet times, first domestic tourism and then international tourism as well. Rich cultural heritage and natural variety place Russia among the most popular tourist destinations in the world. Not including Crimea, the country contains 23 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, while many more are on UNESCO’s tentative lists.
Major tourist routes in Russia include a travel around the Golden Ring of ancient cities, cruises on the big rivers including the Volga, and long journeys on the Trans-Siberian Railway. Diverse regions and ethnic cultures of Russia offer different foods and souvenirs, and show a great variety of traditions, including Russian Maslenitsa, Tatar Sabantuy, or Siberian shamanist rituals. In 2013, Russia was visited by 33 million tourists, making it the ninth-most visited country in the world and the seventh-most visited in Europe.
After the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, several governments, including the US, France, the UK, Australia, and Canada have issued travel advisories calling on their nationals to avoid travel to Russia
EDUCATION
Russia is also home to private schools, some of which are international schools that cater to children of various nationalities. These are highly popular among expats as they provide a multicultural environment and enable children to study the same curriculum they would back home and in their first language. That said, they often charge high tuition fees and have long waiting lists, which can make it difficult to secure a place for your child unless you apply far in advance and have sufficient financial means.
The three stages of education in Russia
Education in Russia is divided into three stages: primary, basic general, and secondary. Primary education begins at the age of six or seven and lasts for four years. This is followed by five years of basic general education, and two to three years of secondary education. Students can choose to complete secondary education at a regular school or opt to attend a vocational training college for that period.
Subjects and grades
At the end of secondary education, all students must pass the Unified State Examination (EGE) (Единый государственный экзамен, Yediny gosudarstvenny ekzamen) if they wish to continue to higher education. Exams in Russian and mathematics are mandatory, while other subjects, including sciences, foreign languages, and humanities, are optional.
The Russian Ministry of Education sets the study program in schools and unlike in many Western countries, students have no say in the subjects they study until they take the Unified State Examination (EGE). Students are graded on a five-step scale, with 5 being ‘excellent’ and 1 being a sign of extreme failure. Teachers rarely assign a grade 1, and most of the time, students receive grades between 2 and 5.
The schools year and holidays
The school year in Russia traditionally starts on September 1, which is known as Knowledge Day (День знаний, Den znaniy). This day also marks the end of the summer and the beginning of autumn. A traditional First Bell ceremony usually takes place for children coming to school for the first time. Pupils and parents also give flowers to the teachers to thank them.
VISA REQUIREMENTS
The following documents should be submitted to the Russian Embassy or Consulate to obtain visa to enter Russia. NEW REGULATIONS ON A VISA OBTAINING PROCEDURE IN EU COUNTRIES Russian Tourist Visa
For assistance with expedited Russian Tourist Visa Invitations see Russian Visa Support Authorizations Russian Business Single, Double and Multiple-Entry Visa
Business invitations to Russia are processed by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Federal Migration Service. Nationals of several countries may also obtain a business visa using an invitation issued by an authorized Russian company. The letter must contain: official seal and legal address of the agency, signature and name of official authorized to invite foreigners to Russia. The Embassy reserves the right to request the original invitation. Russian Private or Homestay Visa
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IMPORTANT LINKS
| Name of Organization / Programme | Website Link |
|---|---|
Ministry of Education & Science of the Russian Federation (RMES) | |
Ministry of Healthcare of the Russian Federation | |
Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation | |
Ministry of Communications and Mass Communications of Russian Federation | |
Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation, | |
Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation | |
Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring (ROSHYDOMET) | |
Federal Service for Supervision of Education and Sciences (ROSOBRNADZOR) | |
Federal Service On Customers’ Rights Protection And Human Well-Being Surveillance (ROSPOTREBNADZOR) | |
Federal Service on Surveillances in Healthcare and Social Development | |
Federal Service for Supervision of Natural Resources | |
The Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Communications (Roskomnadzor) | |
The Federal Service for Ecological, Technological and Nuclear Supervision (GOSNADZOR) | |
Federal Medical-Biological Agency | |
Federal Agency for Water Resources | |
Federal Agency for Subsoil Use | |
Federal Communications Agency (ROSSVYAZ) | |
Federal Technical Regulating and Metrology Agency (Rosstandart) | |
Federal Space Agency (ROSCOSMOS) | |
Russian Corporation of Nanotechnologies (RUSNANO) | |
Russian Foundation for Fundamental Research (RFBR) | |
Russian Scientific Fund (RSF) | |
Federal Agency for Scientific Organisations (FASO Russia) | |
Foundation for Assistance to Small Innovative Enterprises (FASIE) | |
Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) | |
Far Eastern Branch of RAS | |
Siberian Branch of RAS | |
Ural Branch of RAS | |
Russian Academy of Engineering | |
The Kurchatov Institute | |
National Research Center “Institute of Immunology” | |
Network of Russian Nanotechnology | |
All-Russian Mathematical Portal | |
The International Centre for Scientific and Technical Information (ICSTI) | |
Indo-Russian Science and Technology Centre (IRSTC), Moscow Branch | |
International Centre for Innovations in Science, Technology and Education (ICISTE) | |
Joint Institute For Nuclear Research (JINR) | |
Steklov Mathematical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences | |
P.N. Lebedev Physical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences | |
Schmidt Institute of Physics of the Earth of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IPE RAS) | |
St. Petersburg State Electrotechnical University “LETI” | |
Resource Center “Russia-India: Education, Science, Innovation” | |
Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU) | |
Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT) | |
National Research Technological University “Moscow Institute for Steel and Alloys” (MISiS) | |
National Research University “Higher School of Economics” (HSE) | |
National Research Nuclear University “Moscow Engineering Physics Institute” (MePhI) | |
Saint-Petersburg National Research University ITMO | |
Bauman Moscow State Technical University | |
People’s Friendship University of Russia | |
Moscow Automobile and Road Construction University | |
Russian Union of the Scientific and Engineering Organizations (RUSEA) | |
Skolkovo Science & Technology Institute (Skoltech) | |
Saint Petersburg State University (SPbU) | |
Peter the Great Saint-Petersburg Polytechnic University | |
Kazan (Volga region) Federal University | |
Ural Federal University named after the first President of Russia B. N. Yeltsin | |
National Research Tomsk State University | |
National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University | |
Lobachevsky State University of Nizhni Novgorod | |
Novosibirsk National Research State University | |
Novosibirsk State Technical University | |
Samara State Aerospace University | |
Pacific National University | |
Tyumen State Oil and Gas University | |
Magnitogorsk State Technical University | |
Far Eastern Federal University |