War impacts Russian language studies at Czech universities

Russia’s war against Ukraine has had widespread negative impacts outside the country’s borders. Among them is a drop in interest in Russian studies at Czech universities and a gradual loss of academic contacts, reports Radio Prague International.

More than 14 months after the war in Ukraine started, Czech universities report a drop in the number of people interested in studying Russian language and literature, a loss of academic contacts with universities in Russia, cancelled internships and fewer study materials.

However, schools of higher learning consider it important to maintain the high quality of education in the department of Slavonic studies for those interested in the field. Despite this argument it is evident that the number of students interested in studying Russian at the university is dropping compared to pre-war years. While 115 students opted to study Russian at the faculty last year, only 40 have applied this year. Teachers at the university are also having to deal with the inevitable loss of academic contacts and the possibility of sending students on exchange programmes.
Full report on the Radio Prague International site