University reorganizes Russia Center
education
After the start of the Ukraine-Russia war, the University of Salzburg terminated a sponsorship agreement with the Russian foundation that is used to largely administer the Russia Center. The Russia Center is now to be expanded into a dialogue forum for Eastern Europe.
The foundation, which has donated 37,000 euros annually to the Russia Center at the University of Salzburg, is called “Russki Mir” – in German “Russian World”. The facility would thus control these funds quite significantly.
Political situation makes dissolution “no alternative”
After Russia invaded Ukraine, the University of Salzburg terminated the contracts with the “Russki Mir” Foundation. “There was no alternative. It is a foundation of the Russian state, which, by the way, was signed by Putin himself in 2007. We are therefore ending the cooperation,” emphasizes Hendrik Lehnert, Rector of the University of Salzburg.
Off for Russia Center
The University of Salzburg has ended its cooperation with the “Russki Mir” Foundation. The Russian invasion of Ukraine prompted the university to take this step. The Russia Center, which is largely controlled by the foundation funds, is to be converted into an Eastern Europe dialogue forum.
“Irreconcilable Differences on the War Question”
The Russia Center at the University of Salzburg was opened six and a half years ago. It is not the only center of this type at European universities. There are around 50 such institutions in total. “The ideological orientation of this foundation has always been controversial and has remained so to this day. The head and representative of this foundation also take a position on the question of the Ukraine war that we clearly reject,” says Eva Hausbacher, head of the Russia Center at the University of Salzburg.
The new center aims to convey more than language and culture
However, the Russia center is not to be closed, but expanded. An Eastern European dialogue forum is planned: “With tasks that go well beyond what we have done so far, namely teaching language and culture,” says Lehnert.
The Russia Center itself is appalled by Russia’s war against Ukraine: “The first few days we were bewildered. Now it’s a matter of considering how we can continue, how we can discuss with the students where we can make our skills available to refugees. There has to be a look ahead,” says Hausbacher. There are currently 55 Ukrainian and 58 Russian students enrolled at the University of Salzburg.