Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University –
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The finals of the World Championship in Russian as a Foreign Language took place in Moscow. The "Eurasia Express" team of second-year students from the Higher School of Media Communications and Public Relations of the Humanities Institute of St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, consisting of Maximilian Terentyev, Anastasia Choki, and Rakhmatulla Babadzhanov, won second place in the European division.
Over 4,500 people aged 16–22 from 66 countries participated in the qualifying rounds. After six remote stages, the ten strongest teams advanced to the in-person final in Moscow. The final program included discussion games, case studies, and tasks testing language proficiency and intercultural understanding.
"Eurasia Express" is an international team, featuring students from Latvia and Turkmenistan. The participants demonstrated a high level of Russian language proficiency, the ability to argue their case, and teamwork in a highly competitive intellectual environment, finishing second to only one team in the European division.
The name "Eurasia Express" reflects the idea that Russia, where we study, unites different cultures and nationalities, explained team captain and second-year Advertising and Public Relations student Maximilian Terentyev.
The final competition took the form of a tense in-person discussion game. Eurasia Express finished among the top three teams, losing to only one other team in the European division.
"Even though we took second place, it's a victory for us! The Russian language brought people together from different countries and gave us the chance to share experiences. I'm grateful to the organizers for the opportunity to participate in this event, for the new connections I made, for the chance to see the New Year's capital, and, of course, we're going to compete for the grand prize again next year," said Rakhmatulla Babajanov.
Anna Rymoshevskaya, mentor and lecturer at the Higher School of Mining and Social Sciences, commented: "The students demonstrated not only linguistic proficiency but also a mature team strategy. The trip to Moscow was an important professional and cultural experience for the students—they will return with new knowledge, contacts, and motivation for further work."
In addition to the competition, the organizers prepared an extensive excursion program—participants visited Moscow's historical center, museums, and memorial complexes, including the "Road of Memory" museum project, which further expanded their understanding of Russian history and culture.
"We were all particularly impressed by the "Road of Memory" museum complex, which encircles the main Cathedral of the Russian Armed Forces in Patriot Park. The gallery tells the detailed story of each day of the Great Patriotic War, creating a highly authentic atmosphere for the events of 1941-1945. "For foreign children, this is an opportunity to learn more about the most fateful war in Russian history," Anna Rymoshevskaya shared.
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