Development of Science and Technology: NPF Meridian Becomes Polytechnic University's New Partner

Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University –

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Andrey Rudskoy, Rector of Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, and Alexander Aslanyan, CEO of the Meridian Research and Production Company, signed a strategic partnership agreement. During the agreement's preparation, the partners held a meeting between Meridian specialists, led by Deputy CEO Alexander Kopanev, and employees of the Institute of Electronics and Telecommunications, the Institute of Computer Science and Cybersecurity, the Civil Engineering Institute, and the Institute of Power Engineering. They expressed mutual interest in collaborating on personnel training and solving scientific and technical problems in the fields of marine radio communications, control systems, degaussing equipment, and fire safety.

Meridian is a multi-industry enterprise that carries out work in various areas:

Information and control systems; fire automatic systems; control panels for navigation equipment; control systems for radio communication and radio intelligence; systems for compensation of magnetic and electric fields; simulators; telemetry systems; power supply systems for ship complexes.

Over the years, the systems and devices developed by the company have been installed on almost all ships and vessels built in the USSR and Russia, including the nuclear-powered cruiser Pyotr Velikiy, the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov, the large anti-submarine ship Admiral Chebanenko, the icebreakers Arktika and Sibir, and many other ships and vessels.

The company currently boasts a highly qualified workforce. Young specialists and scientists specializing in algorithm development are involved in innovative projects and the development of breakthrough technologies using elements of artificial intelligence.

Present at the agreement signing were Rector Andrey Rudskoy, Vice Rector for Academic Affairs Lyudmila Pankova, Vice Rector for Research Yuri Fomin, Academic Secretary Dmitry Karpov, Director of the Institute of Electronics and Telecommunications Alexander Korotkov, Director of the Civil Engineering Institute Marina Petrochenko, Director of the Center for Scientific and Technical Development and Continuous Programming Oleg Ipatov, and Director of the Higher School of Electronics and Microsystems Engineering Vera Loboda. Meridian's representatives included Director General Alexander Aslanyan, Deputy Director General Alexander Kopanev, and HR Director Alla Sharshukova.

Our cooperation will be mutually beneficial. We will certainly be of assistance in training personnel. We will also jointly develop science and technical solutions," Andrey Rudskoy emphasized.

In addition, the rector of SPbPU spoke about the activities of all the university's institutes and noted how they could be involved in working with the enterprise.

The main goals of cooperation between SPbPU and NPF Meridian include:

Ensuring high-quality professional training of university graduates; Improving the effectiveness of fundamental and applied scientific research conducted by NPF Meridian and SPbPU; Ensuring the innovative nature of applied scientific research; Assistance in providing enterprises and organizations with young qualified specialists; Creation of organizational, scientific, educational, methodological, logistical and innovative potential for the implementation of joint activities of the university and NPF Meridian in the field of relevant scientific and technical, scientific and educational, scientific and innovative, investment, industrial and production, socio-economic and consulting projects and programs; Joint implementation of scientific and educational, scientific research, scientific and innovative, experimental design and other work in priority and promising areas of development of science, technology and engineering.

Alexander Aslanyan spoke in detail about the company's activities and noted the benefits of collaborating with Polytechnic University.

After signing the agreement, the university's new partners were given a tour of the Technopolis Polytech Scientific Research Center. The guests were shown the Institute of Electrical Engineering and Technology's laboratory, where the institute's director, Alexander Korotkov, described their key developments. The Meridian Scientific and Production Company delegation also visited the SPbPU supercomputer center and the Mechanical Engineering Technologies and Materials Research and Education Center.

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Eight people were injured in a road accident involving tourists from the Republic of Kazakhstan in Central China.

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Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –

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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News

CHANGSHA, Feb. 10 (Xinhua) — A traffic accident involving a bus carrying tourists from the Republic of Korea (ROK) occurred in Zhangjiajie, central China's Hunan Province, leaving eight people injured, local authorities reported on Tuesday.

The accident occurred on Tuesday around 5:30 p.m. A bus collided with a car in the Yongding district. Eight people suffered minor injuries and were immediately taken to nearby hospitals.

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The 21st session of the 14th NPC Standing Committee will be held in Beijing from February 25 to 26.

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Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –

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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News

BEIJING, Feb. 10 (Xinhua) — The 21st session of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) of China will be held from Feb. 25 to 26 in Beijing.

This decision was made on Tuesday at a meeting of the chairman and vice-chairmen of the NPC Standing Committee, which was chaired by NPC Standing Committee Chairman Zhao Leji.

According to the agenda proposed at the above-mentioned meeting, the participants of the upcoming session of the NPC Standing Committee will consider the report on the work of the NPC Standing Committee, the draft agenda of the 4th session of the 14th NPC, the draft list of the composition of the presidium and executive secretary of the 4th session of the 14th NPC, and the draft list of persons who will participate in the 4th session of the 14th NPC with the right to an advisory vote.

The draft amendments to the Law on Registered Accountants and the draft law on firefighters and rescuers will be submitted to the NPC Standing Committee for consideration for the first time. Participants in the NPC Standing Committee session will also consider the draft law on social assistance.

At the meeting held on Tuesday, a report on the work of the NPC bodies to handle public appeals in 2025, as well as a draft of measures for the NPC bodies to further improve the working mechanism for implementing the Law on Supervision, were reviewed. -0-

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Chinese Foreign Ministry: China supports Thailand in maintaining stability and development

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Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –

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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News

BEIJING, Feb. 10 (Xinhua) — As a close and friendly neighbor of Thailand, China supports Thailand in pursuing a development path suited to its own conditions and maintaining stability and development, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Tuesday.

Lin Jian made this statement at a regular departmental press conference, responding to journalists' requests to comment on the elections to the House of Representatives of Thailand.

He said China is willing to work with Thailand to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields, further advance the construction of a China-Thailand community with a shared future, and ensure greater benefits for the peoples of both countries. -0-

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The white paper on Hong Kong's efforts to ensure national security is important for the qualitative development of the "one country, two systems" policy, says the official representative.

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Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –

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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News

BEIJING, Feb. 10 (Xinhua) — The white paper on the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region's efforts to safeguard national security is of great and far-reaching significance to the qualitative development of the "one country, two systems" policy, a spokesperson for the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council said on Tuesday.

The official spokesperson made the statement after the white paper, titled "Hong Kong: Safeguarding China's National Security under the 'One Country, Two Systems' Policy," was published earlier on Tuesday.

As noted in the White Paper, the fight to ensure national security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) has never ceased, and the adoption of the Law on Safeguarding National Security in the HKSAR was an important milestone in the implementation of the "one country, two systems" policy, the official representative recalled.

This law served as a turning point, marking Hong Kong's transition from chaos to order, and opened a new stage in the implementation of the "one country, two systems" policy, he added.

The official representative noted that the White Paper outlines how the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region effectively fulfills its constitutional responsibilities to ensure national security, and it presents the historical achievements and changes that have taken place in this area.

The goal of ensuring national security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is to uphold the "one country, two systems" policy, protect national sovereignty, security, and development interests, and maintain the long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong itself, the official representative emphasized.

A secure, free, open, vibrant and developing Hong Kong is in the fundamental interests of the country, the well-being of its people and the interests of overseas investors, the office spokesman said.

With a high level of security, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region will be able to overcome the risks and challenges that arise along the way and ensure lasting peace and stability, as well as long-term prosperity, the official representative concluded. -0-

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Xi Jinping visited local residents in Beijing ahead of the Spring Festival and extended holiday greetings to all Chinese people.

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Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –

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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News

BEIJING, Feb. 10 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping visited grassroots cadres and local residents in Beijing during a two-day inspection tour of the Chinese capital from Monday to Tuesday, extending Spring Festival greetings to all Chinese people at home and abroad ahead of the holiday.

Xi Jinping, who is also the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, wished them good health, success in their careers, and family happiness. He also wished the country peace and prosperity in the Year of the Horse.

The Spring Festival, or Chinese New Year according to the lunar calendar, is the most important traditional holiday for the Chinese. This year, it falls on February 17th. -0-

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Rosneft has developed a national standard for the design of oil and gas wells.

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Source: Rosneft – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

Specialists from Rosneft's research institute in Samara have developed a national standard for the oil and gas industry of the Russian Federation*, establishing requirements for design documentation for onshore well construction. The document was approved by order of the Federal Agency for Technical Regulation and Metrology (Rosstandart) and will come into effect on November 1, 2026.

The document developed by Samara specialists is unique among international and Russian standards. This national standard takes into account modern methods and regulatory requirements for the construction and reconstruction of onshore oil and gas wells, while also taking environmental protection measures into account.

All interested oil production and design companies in Russia can voluntarily use standardized design documentation forms, which define architectural, functional, technological, structural, engineering, and other solutions for the construction or reconstruction of capital construction projects. The documentation contains text and graphic materials, including in the form of an information model.

Improvement and development of a modern methodological framework will improve the efficiency of well construction and ensure uniformity of design approaches.

*GOST R 72433-2025 "Oil and Gas Industry. Onshore Well Construction. Design Documentation Layout. General Provisions"

Reference:

For over 10 years, a drilling technology center has been operating at the Rosneft Research Institute in Samara. It provides design and engineering services aimed at achieving the highest possible efficiency in well construction and reconstruction.

The center's specialists focus on developing technological projects and optimizing well construction costs, improving the quality of pre-project solutions, and addressing environmental issues.

Department of Information and Advertising of PJSC NK Rosneft February 10, 2026

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"Slurry Wall": A unique metro construction technology was first used in the construction of a medical complex.

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Source: Moscow Government – Moscow Government –

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A new complex for the N.V. Sklifosovsky Research Institute of Emergency Care is being built on Bolshaya Sukharevskaya Square using several innovative construction technologies. These technologies significantly speed up processes and improve safety on-site. One such technology is the "diaphragm wall," a protective structure used in metro construction. Specialists have already completed its construction, which will allow the foundation of the medical complex to be erected despite the challenging hydrogeological conditions on the site. This was announced by the Deputy Mayor of Moscow for Urban Development Policy and Construction. Vladimir Efimov.

"A number of unique solutions are being used at the construction site of the new complex at the Sklifosovsky Research Institute of Emergency Care. To create the enclosing structure, we adopted a technology from metropolitan construction, the so-called 'diaphragm wall.' This solution was implemented for the first time in the construction of a medical facility. This monolithic underground structure has now been fully completed, strengthening the pit walls and protecting it from groundwater. The perimeter length of the 'diaphragm wall' is 639 meters, and its depth is up to 25 meters," said Vladimir Efimov.

The construction of a diaphragm wall involves several stages. First, a forewall is formed along the outline of the future building. A grab excavates the soil, making room for the reinforcement cages. The excavation walls are reinforced with bentonite mortar, which is later removed. Metal reinforcement cages are lowered into the prepared space. The final stage is concreting.

"To construct the diaphragm wall enclosure, 180 reinforcement cages were manufactured directly at the construction site of the new building of the N.V. Sklifosovsky Research Institute of Emergency Care. Each cage weighs up to seven tons. A total of approximately nine thousand cubic meters of concrete were poured. Specialists also installed a bracing beam that tied the diaphragm wall into a single structure and allowed for further excavation of the pit for the building's future foundation. Furthermore, digital technologies are being used at the construction site of the country's largest medical center to improve the safety and efficiency of all processes. For example, smartwatches for construction workers will be an experiment in using specialized devices to optimize work time," noted the head of the Moscow Department of Civil Engineering.

Alexey Alexandrov.

Additionally, Face ID technology—a construction site access control and management system with facial recognition—will be used. It will prevent unauthorized access to the site and allow for employee time tracking.

Minister of the Moscow Government, Head of the Moscow Department of Urban Development Policy Vladislav Ovchinsky He added that a remote control system for a construction crane was installed at the construction site of the new building of the N.V. Sklifosovsky Research Institute of Emergency Care. He stated that it improves safety by completely eliminating the risk of crane operator falls and minimizing human error. The system is expected to reduce personnel downtime by up to 40 percent and speed up production operations by 10 percent.

Furthermore, during the construction of the new complex at the Sklifosovsky Research Institute of Emergency Care, specialists are using artificial intelligence and laser scanning to monitor the transportation of goods and waste. Digital meters will help monitor noise emissions from the construction site. The devices capture all adverse sound vibrations generated not by individual sources, but by the entire construction site. The combined effect of all sources is analyzed, including their interaction with the surrounding environment and acoustic conditions.

The construction of a new building, covering approximately 150,000 square meters, is intended to increase the capacity of the N.V. Sklifosovsky Research Institute of Emergency Care. It will be one of the most modern medical facilities in Russia, providing all the necessary conditions for the treatment and rehabilitation of patients. The building will be equipped with the latest equipment, including 22 high-tech operating rooms and five minor operating rooms.

The construction of social facilities in Moscow is in line with the goals and initiatives of the national project Infrastructure for LifeMore information about Russia's national projects and the capital's contribution can be found atspecial page.

Get the latest news quickly on official Moscow messaging channels. MAX And Telegram.

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ROSNEFT 9-MONTH 2025 IFRS RESULTS

Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: Rosneft – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

HYDROCARBON PRODUCTION – 182.6 MILLION TOE LIQUID HYDROCARBON PRODUCTION – 134.7 MILLION T GAS PRODUCTION – 58.2 BILLION CUBIC M EBITDA – RUB 1,641 BILLION FREE CASH FLOW – RUB 591 BILLION

PJSC NK Rosneft (hereinafter referred to as Rosneft or the Company) publishes its results for the first 9 months of 2025, prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).

  9 months 2025 9 months 2024 % change
billion rubles
Revenue from sales and income from associates and joint ventures 6,288 7,645 (17.8)%
EBITDA 1,641 2,321 (29.3)%
Net profit attributable to shareholders of PJSC NK Rosneft 277 926 (70.1)%
Capital expenditures 1 118 1,052 6.3%
Adjusted free cash flow 591 1,075 (45.0)%

Commenting on the results for the first nine months of 2025, Chairman of the Management Board and Chief Executive Officer of Rosneft Oil Company I.I. Sechin noted:

"During the reporting period, the Company operated in a deteriorating macroeconomic environment, including falling prices amid rising oil supply. I note that in November, international energy agencies once again raised their forecasts for oil market surplus in Q4 2025 and H1 20261, despite a slowdown in OPEC production growth.

Additional pressure on the Company's performance for the first nine months of 2025 was exerted by the outpacing inflation of natural monopoly tariff indexation, increased costs of ensuring anti-terrorism security, the high level of the Bank of Russia's key rate, and the strengthening of the ruble observed since the beginning of the year.

Despite the negative external environment, shareholder interests remain one of the Company's top priorities. On November 17, the Board of Directors recommended that the General Meeting of Shareholders, at an extraordinary absentee vote, resolve to pay interim dividends of 11.56 rubles per share. A total of 122.5 billion rubles, or 50% of net profit for the first half of 2025, is proposed for dividend payments, in full compliance with the corporate dividend policy.

Operating indicators

Exploration and production

Liquid hydrocarbon production for the first 9 months of 2025 amounted to 134.7 million tons (3.67 million barrels per day), including 45.4 million tons in Q3 2025. This indicator’s dynamics are due to restrictions on oil production in accordance with decisions of the Russian Government.

The Company's gas production for the first nine months of 2025 amounted to 58.2 billion cubic meters (1.30 million barrels of oil equivalent per day). More than a third of the Company's gas production comes from new projects in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, commissioned in 2022.

As a result, the Company’s hydrocarbon production for the first 9 months of 2025 amounted to 182.6 million tons of oil equivalent (4.97 million barrels of oil equivalent per day).

Production drilling meterage for the first 9 months of 2025 exceeded 9 million meters, with 2,200 new wells commissioned, 74% of which were horizontal.

Onshore in the Russian Federation, in the first nine months of 2025, Rosneft completed 1,200 linear kilometers of 2D seismic work and 3,500 square kilometers of 3D seismic work. Thirty-eight exploration wells were tested with a success rate of 95%.

Vostok Oil Project

As part of the implementation of the flagship Vostok Oil project, 1.2 thousand linear kilometers of 2D seismic exploration work and 1.5 thousand square kilometers of 3D work were completed over the first 9 months of 2025.

The company continues pilot development of the Payakhskoye and Ichemminskoye fields: in the first nine months of 2025, production drilling totaled 101,000 meters, with 19 production wells completed. Test production is underway at the Payakhskoye and Ichemminskoye fields, and oil is being transported by truck from the Payakhskoye to the Suzunskoye field during the winter.

Construction of the Vankor-Payakha-Bukhta Sever main oil pipeline continues. As of the end of September 2025, 119,000 piles have been installed, and 637 km of the pipeline has been laid to design elevations. The main and backup lines of the pipeline's underwater crossing over the Yenisei River have been laid and backfilled. Coastal protection and engineering works are ongoing.

Construction of two cargo berths and a berth for the port fleet at the Port Sever Bay terminal is nearing completion. Construction of the first oil loading berth is ongoing, and work has begun on the second. Construction is underway on the Port Sever Bay oil delivery and receiving station, as well as the Suzun and Payakha oil pumping stations.

Recycling

Oil refining volume for the first nine months of 2025 amounted to 57.7 million tonnes. The decrease in refining volumes was due to repair and restoration work, as well as the optimization of refinery capacity, taking into account price conditions, logistical constraints, and demand.

Rosneft is continuously working to maintain a high level of reliability at its oil refining assets. Specifically, the Company supplies its refinery process units with its own catalysts, which are necessary for the production of high-quality motor fuels. In the first nine months of 2025, 1.9 thousand tons of diesel fuel and gasoline fraction hydrotreating catalysts, as well as protective layer catalysts, were produced. Rosneft enterprises also produced 102 tons of gasoline reforming catalysts and 218 tons of hydrogen production catalysts, petrochemicals, and adsorbents.

The company is a key supplier of high-quality motor fuels for Russian consumers. In the first nine months of 2025, it supplied 30.7 million tons of petroleum products to the domestic market, including 9.5 million tons of gasoline and 12.3 million tons of diesel fuel.

Rosneft continues to actively participate in trading on the Saint Petersburg International Mercantile Exchange. During the reporting period, 7.1 million tons of gasoline and diesel fuel were sold on the exchange, 1.8 times higher than the standard.

Financial indicators

Against the backdrop of declining oil prices and a stronger ruble, the Company's revenue2 for the first nine months of 2025 decreased by 17.8% year-on-year, amounting to RUB 6,288 billion. Moreover, the rate of decline in costs and expenses was slower than that of revenue, partly due to the indexation of tariffs for natural monopolies. As a result, EBITDA for the first nine months of 2025 decreased to RUB 1,641 billion.

Net profit attributable to Rosneft shareholders for the first nine months of 2025 amounted to RUB 277 billion. The high key rate of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation continues to have a significant negative impact on this indicator. Furthermore, non-cash and one-time factors negatively impacted the indicator's dynamics during the reporting period.

The Company's capital expenditures for the first nine months of 2025 amounted to RUB 1,118 billion. This increase was driven by the planned implementation of the investment program, primarily at assets in the Exploration and Production segment. Free cash flow for the reporting period amounted to RUB 591 billion.

The Net Debt/EBITDA ratio at the end of September 2025 was 1.3x and continues to remain significantly below the minimum covenant value in accordance with the loan agreements.

ESG

During the reporting period, the Company continued to implement measures to achieve sustainable development goals within the framework of the Rosneft-2030 strategy.

Rosneft uses the latest technologies and state-of-the-art production methods to create a safe work environment and minimize the risk of occupational injuries and illnesses. In the first nine months of 2025, the lost workday indicator (LWIS) decreased by 22%.

As a result of accident prevention measures at the Company's facilities, the number of process safety incidents has decreased. Specifically, in the first nine months of 2025, the incidence of equipment depressurization incidents with severe consequences of Level 1 (PSER-1) decreased by 50% compared to the same period last year.

Reproduction of aquatic biological resources is an integral element of environmental conservation. During the first nine months of 2025, Group companies released over 16.5 million juvenile fish of various species into water bodies in the regions where they operate.

Particular attention is paid to the conservation and restoration of natural resources: in the first nine months of 2025, employees of the Group's Companies planted more than 900,000 forest seedlings.

1 The updated average forecast of the IEA and the US Department of Energy for Q4 2025 is 3.2 million barrels per day, and for H1 2026 – 3.6 million barrels per day. The increase in OPEC oil production quotas in September was 547 thousand barrels per day, and in October–December – 137 thousand barrels per day per month. At the same time, OPEC countries announced their intention to suspend the increase in oil production in Q1 2026.2 Includes revenue from sales and income from associates and joint ventures.

Department of Information and Advertising of PJSC NK RosneftNovember 28, 2025

These materials contain statements about future events and expectations that are forward-looking in nature. Any statement in these materials that is not a statement of historical fact is a forward-looking statement that involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause actual results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements to differ materially. We undertake no obligation to update the forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, changes in assumptions, or changes in factors affecting these statements.

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Golden Jubilee: An exhibition of Olympic champion Evgeny Kulikov opens at the Polytechnic University

Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University –

An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

An exhibition dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the Olympic victory of the Polytechnician, ten-time world record holder, and speed skater Evgeny Kulikov has opened at the SPbPU History Museum.

The opening date for the exhibition was suggested by the champion himself—on February 10, 1976, exactly 50 years ago, at the Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria, Evgeny Kulikov, a student at the M. I. Kalinin Leningrad Polytechnic Institute, won the gold medal in the 500-meter race. At the ceremony at the Polytechnic Museum, Evgeny Nikolaevich recalled that even the time of his winter race and victory coincided with the exhibition opening—10 a.m. The event was especially symbolic because the Winter Olympics are currently taking place in Italy. However, Russian athletes are participating as neutrals. All the more precious were the memories of past sporting achievements shared by Evgeny Nikolaevich and other participants in the ceremony.

As the famous song "Heroes of Sports" goes: "We want to give all the records our resounding names." Evgeny Kulikov named ten! In 1975, he became the first speed skater in the world to run 500 meters in under 38 seconds (37.99) and set the first world record for the distance. For this, he was awarded the Oscar Mathiesen Prize as the "Best Speed Skater of the Year." He also won gold and silver Olympic medals (silver at the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics), a silver medal at the 1975 World Championships, a bronze medal at the 1977 World Championships, and 18 gold medals at the USSR and Leningrad Championships.

"Yevgeny Nikolayevich is our first Olympic champion. And, of course, his name is already etched in gold letters in the history of the Polytechnic University, meaning it will live on for centuries. And he will always be a role model for younger generations of a harmoniously developed individual, strong in spirit, body, and intellect," said SPbPU Rector Andrey Rudskoy at the exhibition opening.

Yuri Avdeev, a member of the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg and president of the city's Olympic Council, once again recalled Evgeny Kulikov's sporting achievements and his activities after retiring. From 1982 to 1984, Evgeny Nikolaevich coached the USSR national speed skating team. From 1985, he was involved in the development of short track speed skating. From 1994 to 1998, Evgeny Nikolaevich served as chairman of the St. Petersburg Committee for Physical Culture and Sports. Since 2001, he has been vice president and a member of the executive committee of the Russian Skating Union. From 2011 to 2015, he headed the St. Petersburg Speed Skating Federation.

At the exhibition opening, Yuri Avdeev presented Evgeny Kulikov with a Certificate of Gratitude from the Chairman of the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg.

"Yevgeny Nikolayevich is a legend. The victories he brought to Soviet sports are our pride. Thank you for your contribution to the development of physical education and sports. And a deep bow to the Polytechnic for perpetuating the achievements of this renowned athlete," added Igor Vasilyev, Head of the St. Petersburg Sports Facilities Management Directorate.

Another legend among the ceremony's honored guests was the renowned sports commentator Gennady Orlov. He told the following story: "I'm the only one here who witnessed Evgeny Kulikov win the silver medal in Lake Placid on February 14, 1980. I was commentating the race with Eric Heiden, the future five-time Olympic champion. The only hope of all the speed skaters was that Evgeny Kulikov, by then already the Olympic champion in Innsbruck, would give him a run for his money. And so they did. After the first turn, Evgeny had a breakdown. I immediately ran over to the commentary booth and called him a former champion, but Nikolai Ozerov corrected me: 'There are no former Olympic champions.'"

The exhibition opening was graced by the presence of the widow and daughter of Anatoly Yegorovich Pavlov, Evgeny Kulikov's coach. Also in attendance were Polytechnic graduates Sergei Startsev and Vladimir Geller, who, in fact, started this whole story. Fifty-five years ago, two students from the Leningrad Polytechnic's power engineering department came to Chita for summer vacation, where Evgeny Kulikov was serving in the SKA sports company of the Trans-Baikal Military District. They met him while playing football and invited him to the Polytechnic. Then a letter arrived from Leningrad addressed to the head of the Army Sports Club. He advised the young man not to pass up the offer. Evgeny submitted his application and left for Leningrad. He passed his exams, entered the Polytechnic, met a coach, began skating, and won competitions.

"My greatest achievements and awards came while I was studying at the Polytechnic," Evgeny Nikolaevich emphasized. "So, thank you to the university for the foundation it gave me and for the honor you bestow upon me today."

After cutting the symbolic ribbon, Evgeny Kulikov himself gave a tour of the museum for everyone who came. He introduced each exhibit, reminisced about competitions, and spoke warmly about his mother, his coach, and his family, who became like family to him.

At the end of the event, an autograph session took place.

Photo archive

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