Just a short diary to point this out. Something to keep our eyes on in the worsening relations between Russia and the West.
www.rferl.org/…
A Russian government agency is calling on Russians studying at universities abroad to come home to continue their studies, a campaign that appears tied to the sharp downward spiral in relations between Moscow and the West.
Rossotrudnichestvo, which is tasked with overseeing the wellbeing of Russians living out of the country, unveiled a new marketing campaign April 16 with the title Highly Likely Welcome Back. The name appears to be a subtle jab at British Prime Minister Theresa May, who has said it was “highly likely” that Russia was responsible for the poisoning of a former Russian double agent in England.
Amid the downward spiral in relations between Russia and the West, Moscow has issued periodic warnings to Russian citizens about hazards they might face outside the country. In 2016, Russian media reported that the government had instructed government bureaucrats and other officials to stop living abroad.
Among prominent Russian government officials and members of the business elite whose children have studied at Western universities are Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Duma lawmaker Sergei Zheleznyak, and Kremlin-connected bankers Pyotr Aven and Mikhail Friedman.
Peskov’s daughter Yelizaveta caused a minor stir in 2016, when she published a biting commentary on her Instagram, saying she learned more in a year of studying in France then a year of schooling at Moscow State University, one of Russia’s leading schools.