Half-yearly press conference held at Russian House in Dhaka

The Russian House in Dhaka hosted its half-yearly press conference, bringing together representatives of Bangladeshi media, educational institutions, participants of Russian international programmes, and distinguished guests.

The event reviewed the achievements of the Russian House during the first half of 2026 and presented new opportunities for educational, scientific, cultural, and youth cooperation between Russia and Bangladesh.

Opening the event, Alexandra Khlevnoy, director of the Russian House, highlighted the continued expansion of educational cooperation between the two countries. She noted that the annual quota of Russian Government Scholarships for Bangladeshi students has increased significantly from 65 scholarships in 2018 to 200 scholarships in 2026, creating greater opportunities for talented Bangladeshi students to pursue higher education in Russia.

Farzana Yeasmin, a recipient of the Russian Government Scholarship, joined the press conference online from Moscow. Currently pursuing a Master's degree in Global and Digital Media, she shared her personal experiences of studying and living in Russia, highlighting the academic environment, student life, and opportunities available to international students.

A significant part of the presentation was devoted to the Russian Government's fully funded international youth programmes, which provide outstanding Bangladeshi students and young professionals with opportunities to participate in prestigious educational, scientific, cultural, and international exchange initiatives in Russia.

Among the highlights was the St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) 2026, where five representatives from Bangladesh participated through Russia's international youth programmes. During the press conference, forum participants Md Syed Raihan Ul Islam (Daffodil International University), Md Towhid Bin Shafi (Canadian University of Bangladesh), Sakib Asad Khan (Canadian University of Bangladesh), and Dr Barek Kaiser (University of Development Alternative) shared their experiences and spoke about the professional knowledge, international networking opportunities, and new perspectives they gained through the forum.

The Director also presented several prestigious initiatives under the New Generation Programme, including the World Youth Festival and the Eastern Economic Forum, which provide outstanding young leaders from Bangladesh with fully funded opportunities to participate in educational and cultural exchanges in Russia.

Another important topic was the International Conference "Children for Peace", also organized under the New Generation Programme. This year, six Bangladeshi schoolchildren earned the opportunity to participate after successfully passing a competitive educational selection process. During the programme, they joined young participants from around the world in educational, cultural, and peace-building activities, strengthening international friendship and intercultural dialogue.

The presentation also introduced opportunities available through the Open Dialogue programme and the InteRussia Fellowship Programme for Journalists, two fully funded international initiatives that bring together promising young professionals and media specialists from across the world. Special recognition was given to Jinnat Ara Jasoa, an alumna of Daffodil International University, who was selected to participate in the InteRussia Fellowship Programme for Journalists in Russia.

Khlevnoy also highlighted Rosatom's international project "Icebreaker of Knowledge", noting that Bangladesh produced winners in both 2025 and 2026. The programme offers talented students the unique opportunity to travel to the North Pole aboard Russia's nuclear icebreaker 50 Let Pobedy as part of a fully funded scientific expedition.

The presentation further highlighted the outstanding achievements of Bangladeshi students in international academic competitions organized with Russian partners, including the Financial Security Olympiad, Open World Astronomy Olympiad, International Junior Science Olympiad, Open Biology Olympiad, Open Environmental Olympiad, and several other international contests, where Bangladeshi participants earned medals and demonstrated exceptional academic excellence.

Special attention was given to the Open International Biology Olympiad 2026, held in the Sirius Federal Territory, where Team Bangladesh became the Project Round Winner. In addition, Taseen Mohammad of BIAM Model School and College won an individual Bronze Medal, marking another important achievement for Bangladesh on the international scientific stage.

During the press conference, Taseen Mohammad also shared his experience of representing Bangladesh at the Olympiad in Sirius. He spoke about Russia's world-class educational environment, the friendships and experiences he gained, and his continued commitment to expanding opportunities for Bangladeshi students to participate in international Olympiads. As the official representative of several Russian international Olympiads in Bangladesh, he also outlined his initiatives to encourage greater participation by Bangladeshi students.

Educational and linguistic cooperation also featured prominently during the presentation. Khlevnoy highlighted the intensive Russian language programmes organized in 2025 in cooperation with Bangladeshi universities, during which specialists from Saint Petersburg and RUDN University conducted Russian language courses at Daffodil International University, North South University, Stamford University Bangladesh, and the State University of Bangladesh. She also announced that Russian language specialists are expected to return in August 2026 to continue providing free Russian language instruction to students of Bangladeshi universities.

The Director also reviewed the Russian House's expanding cultural and sports diplomacy initiatives, including cooperation in the One Run international race, ethno-sport activities promoting traditional sports, film festivals, exhibitions, concerts, youth exchange programmes, and numerous cultural events designed to strengthen people-to-people ties between Russia and Bangladesh.

The event concluded with a presentation by Sofia Kutepova, attaché and press secretary of the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Bangladesh, on the theme "The Year of the Unity of the Peoples of Russia." Her presentation highlighted Russia's rich cultural diversity, emphasizing the country's many nationalities and religions, while underscoring the importance of unity, mutual respect, and intercultural dialogue within its multicultural society.

The press conference concluded with an interactive discussion between the speakers and media representatives, focusing on future opportunities for cooperation in education, science, culture, youth exchanges, and international partnerships between Bangladesh and Russia.